


A Tree Called Life

by quillsandinkwells



Series: The Intricacies of Living [2]
Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Chapters tend to get progressively longer, Edited from the original posting, F/M, I Reject Canon Reality And Substitute My Own, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Sometimes I hate sticking to canon plots, TToBaW is technically the prequel, The Author Regrets Nothing, The author deals with issues in canon that weren't dealt with, The ladies eventually become somewhat friends, and so many freaking plotholes, but this was written first, except Hayley, literally no one, no one likes Hayley, post 5x07, seriously there were so many, they can be read in either order
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-20
Updated: 2016-01-02
Packaged: 2018-04-10 06:17:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 106,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4380449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quillsandinkwells/pseuds/quillsandinkwells
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caroline never intended on kidnapping Katherine, or carting her down to New Orleans in order to get her former enemy a happy ending. Really, it wasn't on her Bucket List. But, things happen, and life happens, and Caroline somehow-or-another ended up in the last city she had ever thought she would end up in, with the guy she really shouldn't (but totally could) fall for. There's just one--slightly major--problem: Klaus and the rest of the Mikaelson Family are waging war. As the stakes keep getting higher, a journey originally about reuniting past lovers becomes one about personal growth, family, and a little bit of love. AU past TVD 5x07 and TO 1x07.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One: Chapter One

Caroline sat in her dorm, watching her former roommate pack up the last bit of her things. She almost hated to kick the girl out, but Bonnie and Elena would be coming back to school tomorrow, and she seriously doubted that Elena would be okay with her thousand-greats grandmother doppelganger living with them. Scratch that, she _knew_ that Elena wouldn’t be okay with it. It was Katherine, after all, albeit a newly-human and utterly miserable Katherine.

The aforementioned sat down on the bed and looked at Caroline, crossing one booted ankle over another. “So that’s it.” Katherine said.

“Not quite.” Caroline smiled at the arched eyebrow she received in response, and jumped up. “Petrova, we’re throwing you a two-person send-off party! Bonnie and Elena won’t be here until tomorrow afternoon, so that leaves us plenty of time for hangover recovery. Besides, you weren’t a _terrible_ roomie, and every roommate deserves a going-away party...” She rummaged around in the mini fridge and under her bed before bringing out a bottle of bourbon and a couple of cups, shaking them happily.

“Isn’t that like…against University policy, or something?” Katherine gave her a haughty look.

“Absolutely. But what can I say? I like my alcohol, and I can just compel anyone who finds out. Besides, when did you start caring about rules?” Caroline laughed.

“Oh, don’t lie. You just like Damon’s liquor cabinet.” She smirked, shifting into a matter-of-fact tone. “I started caring about rules when I became human and they started applying. Apparently, now that I’m ‘eighteen’ again, I can’t really do much of anything.” Katherine rolled her eyes. “Did I mention I hate my life?”

The blonde laughed. “Welcome to the real world! Now, Damon’s an ass, but he certainly knows how to pick his whiskey.  So let’s get drunk, bitch about how much our lives suck, and then pass out.” Caroline said. Katherine shrugged, reached for a cup, and poured a few fingers of bourbon in.

“Works for me.” Katherine tossed back the alcohol like it was water, and then sputtered. “Oh, what I wouldn’t give for supernatural tolerance back…”

-0-0-0-0-0-

A couple of hours later the bottle was finished. Katherine was moping, Caroline was giggling, and both were absolutely drunk. Well, Katherine was; Caroline, with her vampire tolerance and healing, was merely tipsy. They had gone over pretty much every topic under the sun—parents, how much it sucked being a human, Caroline’s breakup with Tyler, and where exactly Katherine bought her shoes—before they came to one that Caroline had never heard Katherine talk about before.

“I got dumped.” Katherine blurted out, her inhibitions lowered exponentially. Seriously, she was way past sloshed.

Caroline’s ears perked. “You got dumped? It was the first time, wasn’t it? Who did it?” She loved juicy information, and the fact that _Katherine Pierce_ got dumped was almost enough to make the tabloids. Did vampires even have tabloid magazines? No, wait, of course they didn’t. Duh.

“Second, actually. The first guy who dumped me was my boyfriend in Bulgaria when I was human. The first time, that is. He knocked me up, and after a bunch of crappy life circumstances, left. Asshole.” Katherine pouted.

“Um, yeah… Douche. I hope he married a troll of a woman.” The blonde giggled.

“No, he actually married my former best friend Evangelia. She was almost as pretty as me. But that’s a moot point.” Katherine commented, shrugging slightly, clearly not even caring anymore. Either she was over it, or just drunk. It was difficult to tell.

“Well then… Who was it this time? Have I heard of him? You can’t just leave me hanging! Give me details, Petrova!” Caroline was practically jumping up and down on her bed.

“Calm your panties, Forbes. It was Elijah.” She sniffled slightly into her cup, sad to see there was nothing left inside. “We were together when everyone else was searching for the cure, but he dumped me when Klaus went to New Orleans. When my doppelganger was in bitch-mode she planted lies in his head, and they all piled up, and we never got a chance to work it out.” Katherine moaned, and flopped backwards, Caroline barely managing to grab the cup out of her hand before bourbon splatters got all over her bedding. “He’s just… He’s the only man I’ve ever _loved_ , and I don’t think I ever stopped. Everyone else… They were all distractions, I see that now. But, now my one chance at happiness left me because some witches are conspiring against Klaus, and I was the idiotic one who told him about it.”

“Wait… You’re the one who made Klaus go to New Orleans?” Caroline sat up straighter. That was certainly new information. For all she had known, Klaus had just gone on a little trip to the city and decided that he didn’t want to come back. She wouldn’t blame him; everyone in Mystic Falls did seem to want him and his family dead, after all.

“A witch by the name of Jane-Anne Deveraux was trying to make a move against him. I caught wind of it, and like the good little nemesis that I am, sent him word. He didn’t have to go check it out—much less set up house. That was all his choice.” Katherine shot back, her words slurring as she drifted farther and farther into the alcohol abyss.

“Touché.” Caroline sighed. Her lovely buzz was wearing off, thanks to the alcohol…metabolism-thingy she had developed. And just when she had been able to enjoy it. “Katherine, what are you going to do? Because I mean… If you really love him, you can’t just let him go.” But when she looked over at the other bed, Katherine was passed out, a slight snore erupting from her nose, her arms hanging off the bed.

The blonde looked over at the girl she was supposed to hate, and instead just pitied her. It really just was not fair. Katherine was clearly still madly in love with Elijah, even after he left. And, if she was right, he had been crazily in love with her too. There was no reason for them not to be together! A wave of determination washed over Caroline. She had given Tyler an ultimatum because she wasn’t being loved the way that she deserved to be loved; or…at least the way that she felt she needed to be loved. The whole actually deserving-it part was a whole other thing. But still, if Katherine could get her love story, then she was going to damn well make sure that it happened. After all, if anyone deserved a happy ending based on a game of whose-life-was-more-traumatic, the girl on the other bed did. Caroline had learned a bit about Katherine’s past from Elena, and even Katherine herself, and it was kind of pretty terrible.

It was time to give her…frenemy (enemy? enemy-with-friend-benefits? that-person-that-she-found-herself-not-hating-even-though-she-should?) a happy ending.

-0-0-0-0-0-

When Katherine woke up, everything was sunny. And hot. And her head felt like it had just been pummeled with a jackhammer. Her first coherent thought was that Silas had finally gotten her, and was whisking her away to kill her. Then, she remembered that Silas was dead—a slightly important detail that her hungover brain missed—and in the driver’s seat was a perky blonde that was wearing way too much yellow. Honestly, the girl was like a walking Day-Glo stick. It hurt to even look at her.

“Where the hell am I? This doesn’t look like Mystic Falls, cupcake.” Katherine slowly shifted her body up and away from where she had been leaning against the door.

“That’s because it’s not.” Caroline smiled. “We’re somewhere in between Atlanta and Montgomery, Alabama.”

“What exactly are we doing in the middle of nowhere, again? I seem to have missed the memo.” Katherine’s voice took on a deadly tone.

“We’re en route to New Orleans. We should be there in oh…about four and a half hours. You were _completely_ out of it this morning, so I just loaded you and our suitcases in the car. I figured you wouldn’t mind. I mean, we are going to go get you your man back.” Caroline flashed her trademark grin to her companion—the one with subtle undertones of bitchy—before turning her eyes back to the road.

“I’m going to die.” Katherine moaned, her head flopping back against the head rest.

“Not if—” Caroline was interrupted.

“No Forbes, I’m actually dying, okay?” Katherine’s voice took a tone somewhere between a shout and a shriek, with a slight note of panic. At Caroline’s bewildered look, she continued. “After Silas sucked the cure out of me, I started…aging.”

“Like… _Menopause_?” Caroline looked disgusted. “God, I’m so sorry. Bless your heart.”

“Don’t do the southern belle ‘Bless your heart’ thing. It’s insulting.” The human rolled her eyes indignantly. “Think less menopause and more daisy fertilizer. Fate’s a grand bitch, you know? I mean, I spend five hundred years running from your psychopathic boyfriend,”

“Klaus is _not_ my boyfriend!” Caroline protested, but Katherine plowed straight on.

“Only to get killed because a crazy immortal warlock finally got fed up with his pathetic existence, and wanted to die. Said crazy immortals ex-fiancé refused to help me, and I’ve already talked to Dr. Maxfield. There’s nothing to be done, at least from the human standpoint. I’m completely healthy. Just...dying.”

“Well, I won’t take that for an answer.” Caroline said. “You haven’t given up so far, and I won’t let you give up now. Therefore, I am modifying the intentions of this trip by like…a lot. And I have an idea that might keep you alive long enough to see those intentions through.”

“Please, enlighten me. And then we need to stop so that I can pee. And eat. I’m living on the human diet, here.” Katherine peeled off her purple cashmere socks and tucked her legs up onto the seat so she was sitting cross-legged. “Bloodbags and chocolate truffles just don’t cut it anymore.”

Caroline laughed. “We’re going to need to stop anyways. There is no way I am letting you wear _that_ ,” she gestured to Katherine’s hot pink yoga pants and black tank top with ‘Princess’ written across her chest in sparkles “when we get to New Orleans. Now, here’s the plan.”


	2. Part One: Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: “Now here’s the plan.”

After five bathroom breaks (“It is not my fault that I have to pee every half hour like an old lady!”), two stops for snacks (“I went five hundred and twenty years on a diet of blood and chocolate. Food tastes really good now.”), one stop for gas and a quick change (“Petrova, go change your damn clothes. I know the yoga pants are comfortable and heels give you blisters but there is no way I am showing up at the Mikaelsons’ with you dressed like that! Suck it up and put a band-aid on it!”), a quick visit to a walk-in doctor’s clinic (“Are you sure this will work, Forbes? Because if not, I’m going to be dead before the end of the evening.”), and five and a half hours, Caroline was about ready to cry with relief when she saw the ‘Welcome to New Orleans!’ sign.

Matt had the address of the Mikaelson estate—it seemed Rebekah had been fond of mailing postcards to her brothers over the summer—and he was helpful enough to text it to Caroline with only minimal questions. All calls from Elena and Bonnie had been ignored so far; they could be dealt with later. Yes, she felt bad about leaving them behind when she had been the biggest proponent for their joint college experience, but her mind was set, and as is, Katherine didn’t have much time left anyways. She literally had forever with Bonnie and Elena.

Caroline could tell from the way that Katherine’s fingers were drumming on her thigh that she was scared to death – literally. If one move in their plan went wrong, Katherine would end up with her neck snapped, and that was the last thing that needed to happen, especially since she still had her heart set on getting Elijah and Katherine back together. She was Caroline Forbes. When someone told her that she couldn’t do something, she proved them wrong. This was one of those circumstances.

They had a solid plan in place. At least, Caroline was sure that they did. It would work. It _had_ to work. And since they were ten minutes away from their destination, there was no going back now.

“Katherine, are you--”

“Save it, Caroline. Let’s just get this over with so that I can stop hyperventilating.”

“Will do.” She agreed, taking a deep breath and focusing on the road once more. Oh, this better work out.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Caroline parked, and looked up at the grand manor. It was, to say the least, gorgeous. One thing that she could always count upon Klaus and his family for was to live in style. Apparently a thousand years of life experience gave a person good taste. Taking a deep breath, she turned to Katherine. “Ready for this?”

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen. Let’s go.” Katherine slid out of the car, the only sign of her nervousness her frantic heartbeat and shaking hands.

The two women trudged up the steps of the manor, Katherine’s heels clacking against the ancient porch. Caroline rang the doorbell, and waited. Nothing. She rang again, and no one came.

“Maybe Matt gave me the wrong address…” She whispered as she rang it a third time. This time, however, the door was wrenched open by an irate blonde in a bathrobe, her hair twisted up into a messy bun.

“What on earth could possibly be so important as to drag me from the works of Blake, a bottle of wine, and a bubble bath?” When Rebekah got a proper look at who was standing on her doorstep, she shouted “What the bloody hell are you two doing here!?”

“It’s lovely to see you again, Rebekah. Yes, we’re doing quite well, thank you for asking. I wasn’t aware that you read romantic poetry.” Katherine sniped.

“Elena?” The berobed blonde asked.

“Actually, I’m the much prettier one. Besides, do you really think that my doppelganger would be familiar with the works of William Blake?” She shot back. Caroline stood and watched all this from the sidelines. It was very amusing to watch Katherine and Rebekah go at it.

“Touché. The English department at that bloody high school was terrible. It certainly did not advocate the enlightening world of romantic poetry more than it was required to.”

“A shame, certainly. One can acquire much knowledge from the reading of poetry.” Katherine shook her head.

“Okay, can you two old ladies stop speaking like so…ancient, and move this party inside? You’re more than welcome to continue your enlightening discussion once we get in, but I’ve been driving for fourteen hours and I want to take a break.” Caroline spoke up. No matter that she had been stuck in a car almost continuously all day; driving was exhausting and she needed to sit down and relax.

“Fine. I’ll probably get daggered for letting vermin,” Here Rebekah shot Katherine an intentional look. “In the house, but at this point I don’t really give a shit. The parlor is the first room on the left. Go hang out in there while I get dressed. Nik and Elijah are out, but they should be home any minute, so just… Don’t kill each other. Or burn down the house. Or whatever else you’re planning in that dastardly little head of yours, Katherine.” Rebekah waved them in the vague direction of the room before going back to the staircase.

“Well,” Caroline said “I guess now we wait.”

“Have I ever mentioned that I hate waiting?” Katherine sighed.

“Patience is a virtue, Petrova.”

“And I’ve never advertised myself as virtuous, now have I, Forbes?”

-0-0-0-0-0-

It turned out that Rebekah’s definition of ‘in a minute’ was really more like an hour, and when her brothers arrived home they were greeted by the noise of raised female voices from the parlor, where a battle was ensuing.

Caroline was sitting on the sofa, a glass of wine in one hand and a book in another. Every few seconds she would look up at the other two, and laugh, rolling her eyes. Katherine and Rebekah were in the middle of the room, gesturing wildly at each other each holding a half full glass as well.

“How dare you appreciate Wordsworth over Blake? How dare you? This is a travesty!” Rebekah yelled.

“How on earth do you not understand the beauty of the words of Wordsworth? How are you so blind as to not see the loveliness of his poetry?” Katherine shot back.

Caroline saw movement at the door from the corner of her eye, and she turned her head towards Klaus and Elijah, both of whom looked quite shocked when they saw exactly who was in their parlor. Nodding and giving a little wave to them, she focused her attention on the feuding women. “Katherine, Rebekah, SHUT IT!.” The aforementioned ladies were snapped out of their verbal brawl, and Katherine moved to stand beside Caroline, her eyes never leaving Elijah.

“I applaud you, love. Anyone who can make those two hellcats shut up certainly deserves an award.” Klaus clapped his hands as he sauntered into the room, his eyes fixed upon Caroline. “I must say, as delightful as this is, I would like to know what is going on here.”

“Those two,” She gestured at Katherine and Rebekah as she stood up “were just having a lovely discussion on English romantic poets.” She feigned innocence; it was more satisfying than it should be, to slip back into old bantering habits with this man.

“Caroline, let me clarify: it would be my absolute pleasure to listen to your enlightening explanation as to why my _least_ favorite doppelganger is currently standing in my parlor.” Klaus’s gaze left the blonde and strayed to the brunette beside her, before flicking back a second later.

“Alright. You see, there’s been a lot going on in Mystic Falls since graduation and—“ Caroline started.

“You might as well stop dancing around it.” Katherine sighed. “I’m dying.” She stepped from slightly behind Caroline, and faced the Mikaelson siblings. Four pairs of eyes were on her as she took a deep breath before speaking again, as if she was steeling herself for war. “I’m human, and I’m dying.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, how I do love cliffhangers. Banter is also one of my favorite things, if you can't tell from the majority of the chapter! Katholine is probably one of my favorite dynamics to write, so you'll definitely see more of that, and now Rebekah's in the mix as well, which certainly livens things up. The reaction of all the Mikaelsons will be dealt with next chapter, as well as the reveal of Caroline's plan. Thank you all for reading, and special thanks to those of you who left kudos!
> 
> -Abi


	3. Part One: Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: “I’m human, and I’m dying.”

The three Mikaelsons had very different reactions to Katherine’s bombshell. Elijah was frozen, his mouth slightly open, eyes fixed upon Katherine. Rebekah was ranting and raving to the world about how “the biggest bitch on the bloody planet got that damned cure and it just wasn’t fair”.

“Silence, Rebekah!” Klaus ordered, before sitting in an armchair, one foot resting on his knee as he lounged. Elijah stood to his right while Rebekah pouted over to the sofa. “Please, continue.”

“It was the night of graduation. My doppel—” Caroline cleared her throat, and Katherine rolled her eyes before continuing. “Excuse me. _Elena_ and I got into an altercation. It ended with her catching me by surprise and shoving the cure down my throat. After I spent a summer figuring out what the hell I was supposed to do, I came back to Mystic Falls only to find that Silas wanted me.”

“I thought you all took care of Silas.” Klaus directed at Caroline, who was leaning against the couch arm.

“We thought we did. It turned out that when Bonnie died to bring Jeremy back to life, her spell keeping Silas down broke.” Caroline shook her head slightly.

“Your friend is dead?” Klaus asked, looking at the blonde as if he was worried she would melt into a puddle of tears.

“Not anymore. Damon made a deal with Silas to get her back. But that comes a bit later in the story. Hurry up! You aren’t even at the good part yet!” Caroline gestured for Katherine to continue, and she did.

“Right. Anyways, it turned out that I was the walking, talking, cure once I was fed it. Lovely, no? Silas needed to drain me of blood so that he could become a witch again, destroy the Other Side, and die. After his absolute nut job of an ex-fiancée came back and started frying minds,”

“Stefan’s to be exact. He’s Silas’s doppelganger!” Caroline chirped in, enjoying the baffled expressions on the faces of the other room occupants at that little tidbit.

“I was kidnapped, dealt with the flu, and was fed to Silas. Talk about _fun_ couple of weeks _._ Anyways…” Katherine paused, her eyes meeting Elijah’s briefly before glancing away. She couldn’t let herself get emotionally involved again. Not now, when she had only a few months left. “Shortly after Silas sucked the cure out of me, I started showing signs of _aging_. You know, grey hair, joint pain, that type of thing. I moved in with Forbes, here, at college,” She waved in Caroline’s general direction. “to cover up the fact that she and Elena are vampires. There, I talked to a doctor. The cure wants to return me to my natural state. And yes, I already tried vampire blood. I can’t keep it down.”

“Basically, in a few months, she’s going to be a pile of dust. Now, she doesn’t want that to happen, and quite frankly, since Katherine wasn’t _that_ bad of a roommate, I wouldn’t mind her staying alive either.” Caroline pushed off the arm of the couch and walked forward.

“Awww, glad to see you care, Forbes.” Katherine mocked.

“You didn’t try and steal my clothes, Petrova, so that automatically puts you in my good books. Don’t read too much into it.” Caroline shot back, nudging the other girl slightly with her hip. Their dynamic was of much amusement, and confusion, to everyone in the room, as last time the Mikaelsons had been in Mystic Falls, these two hated each other. “Either way, we would like to make a deal.”

“I would _love_ to hear it, sweetheart.” Klaus said. He had never seen Caroline so…brave, before. While she had an open invitation to New Orleans, she was well aware that Katherine most certainly did not, and it took guts coming here with the girl that turned her, just to help her. She truly had a compassionate heart that could see past anything. Now if only she could give him that chance.

“New Orleans is the place for witches, correct? And some are very, very, powerful?” She affirmed, already knowing the answer.

“Correct. Yet, couldn’t the Bennett witch do the necessary spell?” He asked.

“Bonnie is the anchor between the Other Side and this one. She doesn’t have magic anymore. That’s why we’re here.” Caroline finished. Klaus just nodded, masking confusion. It seemed that everything went to hell in Mystic Falls as soon as he and his family checked out.

“The terms for the deal are as such: I am willing to give you one blood bag a week to make hybrids in exchange for the use of a witch to save my life.” Katherine stood in a protective stance: her back straight, chin raised, and hands on her hips. And yet, her walls were down. Over the course of her years, being open with her emotions was something that she had not allowed. But, being with Elijah had changed her, and now…she was undone in his presence. This situation was not safe for her heart, and yet Katherine went along with it anyways, for it was to save her life. Better to be heartbroken and alive than heartbroken and dead. “And for the remainder of my life, whether it be for a few months or for decades, I will have my freedom. That means no more chasing me, no more death threats, nothing. You have spent five hundred and twenty years holding a grudge because I chose to run instead of walk calmly to your altar. I think it’s time we end this.”

“You’re very brave, little Katerina, to ask for something as beneficial to yourself as this.” Klaus’s mouth twisted up into his trademark smirk as he folded his hands in his lap. “And very foolish. I could kill you right here and now, and not blink.”

“The name is Katherine, as you are more than aware.” She said, her hands shaking. “I may be human once more, but the little Katerina Petrova that you speak of died on the 6th of April, 1492 so please, do not patronize me. I do not appreciate the condescension. Now, do you agree to the terms or not? Because, if you refuse, it’s a fourteen hour trip back to Mystic Falls and Caroline has roommates waiting on her at Whitmore. I’d like to know if I can go back to my previous plan of death by alcohol poisoning, instead of slowly falling apart.”

In that moment, Katherine Pierce looked strong. Of course, she had always been intimidating and fierce. Everyone knew that. But now, for the first time in five hundred and twenty years, Katherine had faced her demon. She stared the one who had sentenced her to a life of misery, the one who had killed her entire family, the one who had chased her relentlessly her for her entire vampiric life in the eye, and she gave him an ultimatum. Oh yes, she was afraid. She was _very_ afraid. One would be stupid not to be afraid of Klaus. But she owed it to herself and her sanity to fight for her freedom, and so she did in the only way that she could; with her words. Her tongue was her weapon, and Katherine was a woman desperate enough to use every tool at her disposal.  

“Damn it, Katherine, I told you that I am not going to let you give up that easily!” Caroline stood up, angling herself away from the Mikaelsons, her hands on her hips. She was infuriated. This girl—who had basically been the root of everything that had gone on in Mystic Falls since 1864 when she turned the Salvatores—was not going to be able to die that easily. She wasn’t going to let her, because no one should spend five hundred years running only for it to end like this. “You’ve been a survivor for five hundred something years, and I’m not going to let a death sentence from psycho Dr. Maxfield send you on a suicide mission! I didn’t ply you with bourbon and kidnap you down here for nothing, okay? We are going to save your life.”

“First of all, we both know you didn’t plan this, because you didn’t even know I was sick until we were mostly here.” Caroline’s eyes widened as Katherine spilled that tidbit of information. She could feel Klaus’s eyes on her – she could always feel his eyes on her – but she steadily avoided them. “Secondly, why? Please explain to me why exactly you want me to survive so much! Your friends hate me. Hell, you yourself should hate me, or do you not remember when I smothered you with a pillow? Why do you want me to live?” Katherine threw her hands up in the air, pacing a bit.

Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah watched the two women with slightly bemused looks on their faces. Rebekah was just enjoying the entertainment. This was something that called for a bag of popcorn. It wasn’t many days that you got to see Caroline Forbes try to convince a human Katherine Pierce to try and live.

Klaus simply enjoyed the idea that _Caroline_ was in his house, in New Orleans. To be frank, when he had extended the invitation to New Orleans, he had hoped that she would have come—not with the intention to save the constant thorn in his backside—but because she wanted to be his Queen. At the same time, however, the fact that she was here and did not intend to leave was most certainly something to be savored.

Elijah’s thoughts were all jumbled up. Katerina was dying. And she was human. Now that certainly was a surprise. Yet as she went toe-to-toe with Miss Forbes, he could not help but consider her as beautiful as ever. She had the grace and poise of whom she had been when they first met, yet she held a deadly air that came from her life experiences. Oh, one of his biggest regrets was leaving her. She had been right when she had said that it was their turn. But yet, at the same time, it had not been. The opportunity to bring his family together was too great to pass up. And he would always regret that she had to be left behind.

“Why do I want you to live?” Caroline repeated. “You have an opportunity here that none of us get! You can live a long and normal life, untouched by all of this supernatural madness. You can have kids again. I mean sure, I love being a vampire. I wouldn’t have taken the cure if it had been offered to me. But there are some things that you can never have as a vampire, and you have the opportunity for them now.” She finished with a sad and slightly exasperated look on her face.

“Did you ever think that maybe there was a reason that I didn’t want the cure, Caroline?” Katherine asked, crossing her arms. “I don’t want to be human. Having children? I had a child when I was too young for one. That ship sailed long ago. ” She breathed in, closing her eyes for a moment before letting it out. “Look, Caroline. You are a member of one of the strongest races of beings. You have the gift of a daylight ring. Your friends are immortal. Just go enjoy your existence before some other big bad person attacks your motley group of friends and screws everyone’s lives up _again_.” Katherine sighed, resting her hands on her temples. “The only reason I was even willing to go along with your ridiculous plan to save my life is because it isn’t fucking _fair_ that all those years of running are culminating in this.”

“Katherine…” Caroline sighed.

“I’ll be in the car, Forbes. I’m sorry that you drove all this way for nothing. Klaus won’t agree to this anyways—not even for an army—simply because he will have the distinct pleasure of knowing that I’ll be dying a slow, humiliating, torturous death in the end.” She tossed her hair as she turned to Klaus. “And that’s what you promised me back in Mystic Falls, wasn’t it? A death worth every one of those years that I spent running? Well, congratulations. The little girl who ran has finally met her match. You can’t run from time, now can you, Lord Niklaus?” With that, Katherine Pierce swept out of the parlor of the Mikaelson manor, the sound of the front door closing behind her an echo in the ears of the occupants of the room.

Elijah Mikaelson turned on his heel and followed after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! This story was first published about a year and a half ago, and I fondly remember writing these first few chapters. At the time I had no real idea of what I wanted to do with the plot; I'm just glad that I finally managed to figure it out and plot everything cohesively! Anyways, to conclude what could seriously be a long trip down memory lane, thank you all so much for reading and kudoing! I really appreciate your support.
> 
> -Abi


	4. Part One: Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: ‘Elijah Mikaelson turned on his heel and followed after her.’

Katherine was leaning up against Caroline’s car, enjoying the silence of the night and wallowing in her misery. Of course Caroline had locked it, and of course the keys were sitting in Caroline’s purse, inside the house. That very same house that she had just stormed out of, because there was no way that Klaus was actually going to: a) grant her freedom, or b) do anything whatsoever to keep her alive. Hell, making sure your enemies were dead was probably the first rule in the villain’s handbook. Either way, she was going to die, and quite soon it seemed.

Of course, her silence was disturbed by the slamming of the front door, and an all-too familiar step.

“Katerina?” That damned man had to just come after her. Lovely.

“Damn it Elijah, the name’s Katherine!” She snarled. He _had_ to pull the passive-aggressive name calling again. Oh, this was bound to be fun.

“I happen to find your Christian name much prettier, _Katerina_. And I know that you like it when I call you that.” Elijah said. He approached the vehicle swiftly; the gravel crunching underneath his feet too loud for this still evening. The only light they had came from the porch and the light of the moon, and it was very quiet. Too quiet for a conversation such as the one that Katherine knew was to come.

“Mmm, the appeal wore off.”

“Katerina, why did you not tell me what had happened? I could have helped you… You wouldn’t have been alone.” And he abandoned his usual dancing-around-topics thing and went straight to the point. Shit. She wouldn’t be able to flirt her way out of this one.

“Well, maybe it had to do with the fact that… Oh, I don’t know… You dumped me. Actually, does ‘Katerina, goodbye’ even count as a breakup? Because to me it sounded more like ‘We had a thing but I’ve got bigger and better things to do than you, so tootles’.” Katherine pushed off of the car and crossed her arms, fixing him with a glare.

Elijah closed his eyes and let out a breath. He ran a hand through his hair, messing up his normally perfectly-coiffed look. She had always liked his hair all messy like that… Nope, nope. Bad thoughts. Nothing could happen between them. It was useless.

“It was not like that, I promise. My family needed me. We are trying to win back our home from someone that we had once called family, and there are witches involved and I had to be here.” He justified.

“I assume you remember those lovely weeks in France, with the chateau and the vineyard and the days we spent riding horses across the countryside. Or did you forget that too?” She changed the topic abruptly, startling Elijah.

“Katerina,” His tone softened. Most days, his memories of their time together were the only thing which kept him going throughout the day, and certainly the night. “I have not forgotten a minute of the time we spent together. Of course I—”

“I bought the estate.” Katherine interrupted, running a hand through her curls. “I bought it and I had it redecorated for us.” She laughed bitterly. Her face was heartbroken and yet irate at the same time. “I received a call saying that the renovations were done not more than an hour before you left. It was really a lovely house; I used design elements from the townhouse in London combined with ones from my apartment in New York and did a classic-nouveau theme with the place. I’ve never actually been to see it, but from the pictures, it turned out beautifully.”

“Katerina, I never—” Elijah started, but was interrupted. It was killing him, having this conversation with her. This woman—this infuriating, passionate, fantastic, woman—had been so utterly in love with him (and he with her) but he had destroyed it. They could have been happy; they would have been happy, like they had been for those few blissful months before reality showed up. And he listened to the wrong person.

“Of course you never knew. It was thoughtless of me to say that. You could never have known. It was meant to be an ‘It took us five hundred years to get to this point but now we can be happy’ surprise.” Katherine shrugged. “I had planned for us to be happy there, but hell, you can just have it after I die.” She shook her head, facing away from him. “How could you listen to her?” She whispered.

“To?”

“To Elena, of course. I mean, she was emotionless. She hates me. Of course she’s going to voice every single bad thought that she’s ever had towards me. You should have known that half of what she was spouting was false. When she learned about us she was going to say anything possible to turn your head against me, and sadly, she succeeded. I’m just disappointed that you believed your acquaintance over your…whatever we were.”

“When Elena and I chatted, I had no intention of leaving you, truly. I had fully planned to come back to you. But then I came to check out the situation down here, and it is dire, Katerina. My family is facing war from two fronts; a war that we have not the allies for at this time. Marcel—the vampire that has dubbed himself ‘King of New Orleans’—has a strict ban on all magic in the city, and we are on unstable ground. The witches are blackmailing us, and if we do not coincide with what they want, they will destroy the one chance at happiness that my family has left. I am doing my best to ally with a young witch that is currently in a situation which happens to be eerily similar to yours, but even then that alliance is rocky.” Elijah said.

“Is she a doppelganger as well?” Katherine was confused, but happy to get away from their personal life. Blood sacrifices that resulted in death were not all that common within the witch community; especially not in the ‘Light Magic’ faction. Doppelganger blood was special—that is why Tatia Petrova had been used in the ritual to make the Mikaelsons into vampires, as well as to place the Hybrid Curse onto Klaus. But doppelgangers were rare, and that another girl was wanted for a ritual made Katherine sick to her stomach.

“No. The ritual was to be done in order to gain more power within her coven to combat the vampires. The girls had been told that they would be put into a hibernation-like state, not that they would have their throats slit. Out of the four, Davina was the only one that made it out, and in the process she received the magic of the three dead girls.” Elijah stated grimly.

Katherine pursed her lips in a suppressed gasp, a flicker of annoyance coursing through her. Human emotions were making her weak; making her feel sympathetic for people. “I assume your _unflinching_ honor has compelled you to do something to help her?”

“Davina has been learning from my Mother’s grimoire in exchange for her cooperation on turning a blind eye to a few bits of magic performed here and there. I believe that she must have come into her magic just before the ritual was performed because she is…untamed. She has had no practical training whatsoever, yet she is extremely powerful. Possibly even more powerful than Miss Bennett. She is currently living above an old church under the protection of Marcel, and I visit when I can. Other than Marcel and maybe the priest who tends to the church, I believe that she is completely alone in the world.” Elijah sighed.

“Completely alone? That’s no way for a young girl to live.” Katherine said, smiling half-heartedly. They both knew that she was speaking from her own experience. She had been young when she was left completely alone in the world, and she knew that it had not been good for her. Teenage girls should get to grow up like Caroline, or Bonnie, or her doppelganger. In her opinion, they should be surrounded by friends and family, living happy and _somewhat_ shallow lives. They shouldn’t have to worry about magic, or vampires, or crazy sociopaths that want to sacrifice them on their altar of blood. It was a shame that another girl had to go through something similar to her. It wasn’t fair.

-0-0-0-0-0-

“What the bloody hell just happened?” Rebekah sputtered.

Needless to say, the remaining ones in the living room were a bit surprised at Katherine’s outburst and Elijah’s subsequent departure. Rebekah was more shocked than anything else. She wasn’t a fan of Katherine—much less her brother’s apparent obsession with the Petrova bloodline—and the girl had _terrible_ taste in poetry, in her opinion. Caroline was torn between worrying if their plan would work, or cheering at the fact that Elijah actually followed Katherine out. There was hope for them yet.

Klaus was internally sputtering. He had just gotten yelled at by _Katerina_. This should call for her death. And yet… The prospect of hybrids was very delectable. Thankfully he and Elijah had worked out their issues concerning his child that evening, or they could have had Katerina under Elijah’s protection as well, which would just knock everything out of place. It had taken a bit of yelling, a good bottle of whiskey, and a few punches to sort everything out, but Elijah had apologized for his uncalled-for allegation, and he had assured his brother that his child was to be kept safe and loved. He would not dare to be the father that Mikael had been to him, and he had made it clear that no child of his would ever be used or treated like he had been. And that had been the end of that.

“I believe that that was Katherine finally letting out all of her feelings for the first time in like…ever. And four for her, because she actually told off your brother, which was about five hundred or so years overdue.” Caroline addressed Rebekah.

“How on earth did you get caught up in this whole mess anyways? You and the grand bitch weren’t exactly best friends back in Mystic Falls.” The other blonde retorted. She was genuinely curious about this whole pseudo-friendship going on.

“As you know, it was my idea to bring her down here in the first place. She’s had a sucky life, and she’s human now. Besides… No one deserves to decay like she’s basically been doomed to do so. I wouldn’t wish that on _anyone_. Bonnie doesn’t have her magic anymore, and the only other person that was capable of doing anything to reverse the effects of the cure was Qetsiyah and she’s dead. New Orleans is supposed to be the magic hub of the States, so here we are!” Caroline shrugged, making sarcastic little jazz hands. She wasn’t going to clue Klaus and Rebekah into her plans for Katherine and Elijah just yet; knowing this psychopathic family, that would probably be a bad idea. Besides, playing matchmaker was so much more fun when no one knew what you were up too!

Rebekah just raised her eyebrows in response, and settled back further into the couch. Caroline looked back and forth between the siblings. Rebekah certainly wasn’t a friend of hers. But Klaus… She didn’t know where they stood. They had been sort-of-friends right before he left town, but then he did the whole ‘I will be your last’ thing and then gave her back Tyler (because that lasted _sooo_ long), and everything was just confusing around him. He was infuriating and dark, but yet had such a twisted version of humanity to him that it boggled her mind. Klaus confused her, and Caroline didn’t know what to think of him. He was a puzzle, and one that she was afraid to solve, for if she did, she might be so attached to the full picture that the consequences would change her life. That was something Caroline was not sure she was ready for.

Suddenly, Klaus rose to his feet. “Well love, I suppose we must go grab your things and find you a room.” He held out a hand to a very confused Caroline, a smirk present on his lips.

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” A half-smile appeared on her face as her eyes were clouded in skepticism.

“If you think that I’m saying I accept yours and Katerina’s deal, then yes, I do. However, we can discuss when exactly the arrangements will be carried out tomorrow, and there are a few complications that we will have to work around. For now, I assume that you must be very tired from the drive, and we have an expanse of guest rooms for you to retire in.” Klaus said with a perfectly straight face, one eyebrow cocked in anticipation of her reaction.

Caroline broke out into a dazzling grin. While he may solely be in this for the hybrids, he accepted, and Katherine was free, and she was in a city outside of Virginia! This may be a ‘business trip’, but she was going to have some fun while here. Besides, Klaus had surprised her. After Katherine’s last words, she had truly feared that he would not accept. But, he did, and everything was going to be better. Caroline took Klaus’s hand as she rose, before she slipped it into the crook of his elbow. “Let’s go get my things before you give me the grand tour!” She smiled. They walked to the door in silence, but as Klaus was about to walk her out, Caroline stopped. “You, stay on the porch. I want to tell her myself, and besides, she’s still more than a bit freaked out by your presence so yeah… I’ll be back in a minute!” She laughed before darting out the door, flashing a smile at the hybrid leaning against the doorway.

When Caroline walked outside, the first thing she noticed was that Elijah and Katherine were leaning against the hood of her car, talking about something insignificant. And when she unlocked the car and opened the driver’s side door, she heard Katherine sigh and ask when they were leaving, but Caroline just ignored her and moved to the trunk that she had just opened. Her senses picked up on the dual footsteps of Katherine and Elijah walking around the car to the back, but she just continued rummaging through the stuff in the back of her car.

“Look Forbes, you may be blonde, but you’re not deaf. Are we leaving?” Katherine asked, hands on her hips.

“Quite the opposite, Petrova.” Caroline said as she tossed Katherine’s makeup bag at her. “Now grab some bags, because between the two of us we’ve filled up the back of my car, and if you want to be able to unpack tonight, you might want to get a move on.” She continued with unloading suitcases and handing the occasional bag to Katherine, which was promptly taken from her by Elijah.

“Excuse me? If this is a joke, please remember that while I may not be stronger than you physically, I have a hell of a lot more fighting experience and I will not hesitate to break your limbs.” Katherine backed away slightly. There was no way that this was actually happening. It just was not possible. Caroline hated her, Klaus was going to kill her, and Elijah wasn’t sorry for leaving her. This was all a farce, she had been a fool for trusting Caroline, and she wasn’t free. That was what must be happening. Because… Because the possibility of her freedom, her _life_ , actually becoming her own was just too much of an improbability, and if she dared to hope that it might be so, she would break.

“Katherine. Klaus agreed. You’re free.” Caroline smiled.

Katherine let out a loud squeak as she clapped her hand over her mouth. She was free. For the first time in five hundred and twenty years, she. Was. Free. She wouldn’t cry. She couldn’t cry. Crying would show emotion and… Screw that. The tears were already cascading down her face. Dropping what little bags she had in her hands, Katherine darted into the front seat of Caroline’s car, and closed the door. Once the door was closed, she broke down into quiet sobs.

There are two kinds of crying. There was the kind that shredded your insides, tearing you into little tiny pieces before stitching you crudely back together and then ripping into you again; the ones that simply just made you hurt worse at the end of the cry. Then, there were the therapeutic sobs. They were the sobs of healing; where your broken heart was knitted into something secure and lovely. They were the sobs that cleansed your soul and set you alight with joy. It was the latter that Katherine experienced that night in New Orleans, her shoulders shaking as she tried to calm herself down. She couldn’t let herself break in front of others and so she did so in the privacy of the car, where none was present but the ghosts of her past. That good cry took a tiny bit of Katherine’s darkened soul, healed it, and set her on a course that would make her feel whole once more.

Steeling herself once more and drying her eyes, Katherine slid out of the driver’s seat. Walking to the back of the car, she bent down, picked up her bags, and fixed Elijah and Caroline with her signature bitchy look. “Well, aren’t we going to head inside? Like you said, Forbes, we have unpacking to do!” Flashing a genuine smile at Elijah, she turned towards the manor and marched up the drive.

“She’ll never change, will she?” Caroline asked Elijah, a small smile still present.

“On the contrary, Miss Forbes, I do believe she already has.” He said, giving her a look before picking up some more bags and following in Katherine’s footsteps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading and kudoing on this latest chapter! I really enjoyed writing quite a bit of this one; Kalijah is one of my favorite couples to write for (I wrote a canon prequel for them so, in shameless self-promotion, go read it!). Anyways, I hope you have enjoyed this story thus far, and I hope you continue to read the upcoming chapters! I hope to have chapter five up tonight, and maybe even chapter six! Anyways, thanks again!
> 
> -Abi


	5. Part One: Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: “On the contrary, Miss Forbes, I do believe she already has.”

The next morning, Caroline woke up optimistic. Klaus had agreed to the deal, Katherine’s life was one step closer to being saved, and she had just had a _fabulous_ night’s sleep on a ridiculously comfortable bed, in a gorgeous room; done in cream and gold, it was like something straight out of a fairytale.

After Klaus had shown her around the positively enormous house and to her room last night, she had meticulously unpacked every single item in her possession and put them away before collapsing into bed. Driving for fourteen hours straight and then cementing a life-saving deal all in one day could severely exhaust the body and mind, after all. Now some things about the deal were a bit sucky—there was the fact that Katherine had to donate blood in trade for her freedom—but in the long run, what was a bit of blood in exchange for your life? Exactly…not that much at all. Better to be down a bit of blood than be dead, in both hers and Katherine’s minds.

Rolling out of bed, Caroline started on her daily routine. Now, if she had been at her own home or at Bonnie or Elena’s, she would have just padded down to breakfast in her sweatpants and tank top with yesterday’s mascara smeared under her eyes, hair up in a messy bun. This, however, was _Klaus’s_ house. She had to have a modicum of dignity around her at all times. Besides, she just got out of a relationship! This was not the time to make herself fully at home. Slipping a pair of wedges onto her feet, Caroline glanced in the mirror. She looked good. The sundress was cute, her hair looked less like a poufy mess, and her makeup was reapplied flawlessly. It was time for breakfast.

-0-0-0-0-0-

After a minor detour in which Caroline might have taken a wrong turn and ended up in the library, she finally found the kitchen, where the Mikaelsons and Katherine were all sitting. Klaus and Elijah were at opposite ends of the table, both reading the newspaper. Rebekah sat to the left of Klaus, sipping at a mug of something and messing around with her phone. Katherine was as far as humanly possible from Klaus—so directly beside Elijah—picking at a bowl of fruit. Taking the seat across from Rebekah and next to Katherine, Caroline smiled.

“Good morning everyone!” She said cheerily, receiving nods or brief smiles in return.  

“Morning, Caroline.” Klaus folded his newspaper and set it to the side, taking a sip out of what smelled like a mug of blood. “I assume you would like breakfast?” When she nodded to the affirmative, he smiled. “There is blood in the fridge, a variety of food in the pantry, and coffee and tea can be found on the counter. Just make yourself at home, love.”

“Thank you, Klaus.” said Caroline. She headed over the fridge and grabbed a blood bag before dumping the contents into a mug and warming it up. When the microwave timer went off, she grabbed her food and sat back down, sipping every so often and enjoying the silence. Sadly, that was not to last.

About a minute or so later, a loud scuffle came from behind Caroline, and the occupants of the room looked up to see Hayley standing in the doorway. She seemed to be dressed in a pair of mismatched hideous pajamas, and she was the last person that Caroline had expected to see.

“Um, what the hell are they doing here?” And it appeared that the little werewolf felt the same way about her as well. Charming.

“We’re here on business, cupcake. I think it would be more interesting to find out what exactly you, my former _informant,_ is doing here.” Katherine took a bite out of her strawberry, barely even sparing a glance to the newcomer.

“Wait, what was she doing for you? She was also working for Shane.” Caroline blurted out. She had not liked Hayley when she met her, and a few months later, nothing had changed.

“She was my little spy during the search for the cure. She was very busy, weaseling out every little secret she could. I directed her to a witch who was knowledgeable on the matters of werewolves in exchange. How on earth did she find time to do anything else?” Katherine leaned back in her chair, chewing casually on her fruit. It appeared Rebekah found the situation amusing, as she began chuckling, much to everyone’s confusion.

Klaus, on the other hand, was shocked. His…baby mama, as they so crudely put in this century, had apparently worked for his eternal annoyance. That was not irritating in the least. Elijah, on the flipside, had known that Katherine had a mole in Mystic Falls, but he had assumed that it was the sniveling little girl that had followed his sister around like a lost puppy. The fact that it was _Hayley_ was surprising. She had come off as very…innocent originally. Rebekah was just laughing at the irony of it all. She hadn’t cared to know the details of Hayley’s past—it’s not like she actually considered the girl anything more than a source of amusement. There had been a distinct lack of female persons in her home, and Hayley had been a convenient outlet for her loneliness. Of course, now there were other women in the house. And while she may have had a troubled history with both Caroline and Katherine, they were certainly more her type than the pregnant werewolf.

“Don’t ask me. All I know is that she was working with Tyler to unsire all of those hybrids back home. It was her genius plan that set up their deaths, too.” Caroline turned her glare on Hayley before her attention was drawn to Klaus, who had stood up so abruptly that his chair made a loud screech backwards.

“You’re the one who unsired all of my hybrids?” Klaus was horrified. He exchanged a look with his brother before staring at Hayley. “And why on earth did you lead them to betray me! You would know that the punishment was death!”

“I needed information on my family. There needed to be twelve for the sacrifice. I provided them. It was nothing personal.” Hayley answered, in her usual nasally tone.

Caroline could tell that Klaus was outraged, and that her comment had clearly set him off. That was not what she had intended to do, truly. His stance screamed rage; from the way that he was gesturing to his expressions, he was horrified. She didn’t know that much about werewolf culture, but if she knew anything it was that the pack was a sacred thing. They were your family, and to betray them meant eternal shame.

He scoffed in response, horrified. “She will be moved as soon as possible. I don’t care what we have to do, but she will be out of my sight. If it had not been for the circumstances, she would be dead already, do you understand me?” Klaus said, clearly having spoken to Elijah. The women at the table simply sat back watching, as this did not seem to be their fight to intervene in.

“Brother, that cannot happen. The witches have made their terms for this arrangement clear, and if we do not comply the repercussions will be something that none of us wish to test.” The man in question answered.

“Damn the witches! I do not care if we have to put her on a boat in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico for the remaining months, I do not wish to have to look upon her, for she has committed a grievous sin.” Klaus rubbed his temples slightly, as if he had a headache coming on. “Do whatever it takes, just get her out of here, Elijah!” He stormed out of the kitchen, walking purposefully in a way so as to avoid Hayley. In the kitchen, everyone sat silently. Elijah, Katherine, Rebekah, and Caroline all were still at the table, simply taking everything in. Hayley sat at the counter, her usual smug look on her face. She appeared to be enjoying the attention that she had gotten. Elijah stood up and buttoned his jacket, obviously going after his brother.

“Wait!” Caroline said. She stood up from the table. “Let me go talk to him.”

“Miss Forbes—”

“You can call me Caroline, first of all.” She smiled, depositing her empty mug in the dishwasher before heading to the door. “And secondly, I think he needs an unbiased person to talk too. He’s too angry to reach a compromise at the moment. I’ll see what I can do.” She walked off in the direction that she had heard Klaus go.

Elijah simply nodded in assent, and retook his seat. It was an interesting dynamic, the one between his brother and Miss Forbes. Their friendship was certainly something to observe further. She seemed to care for him, and Niklaus certainly held a soft spot for the young lady. Elijah was no fool; he had seen the way that his brother had looked at Miss Forbes the previous evening, and there was no doubt that she was the reason that the deal to save Katerina’s life was made.

Oh, but he had other things to worry about than his brother’s love life. Like the fact that Katerina was dying, which he would not allow to happen.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Caroline knocked on the door lightly.

“Elijah, I do not wish to speak to you at the moment. Kindly go away.” Klaus’s voice answered from the inside. Well, apparently she had guessed correctly. He had spoken fondly of his office when giving her a tour the previous evening, and she had presumed that he would be here. Apparently she was right.

“Since I’m not your brother and I really don’t think the suit would look good on me, may I come in?” She asked tentatively, opening the door a bit.

Klaus was bracing one hand against the wall as he looked out the window. “Caroline. Yes, you may.”

“Thanks.” The lady stepped into Klaus’s haven. It really was a lovely room, with large windows and a fireplace on one of the walls. There was a large desk near one wall, and a few chairs were arranged near the bookshelves on another. She could see a covered easel near the brightest section of the room.

“Why you are here, Caroline.” Klaus turned and leaned against the wall as Caroline came further into his study.

“I wanted to apologize. Sort of.” At his arched eyebrow and half smile, she smiled softly. “Just… Clearly what I said struck a chord, and I really didn’t mean for that to happen. I’m not apologizing for outing the little wereslut, but I’m sorry that it caused you distress.” Caroline shrugged. “And, if you want to talk to someone about why, I’m here.”

“I am surprised that you beat Elijah to my door, I must say.”

“Yeah… I figured the last thing you needed was for him to push his opinion. Someone might end up daggered, you know?” There was a smile playing on her lips, which let him know that she was merely teasing. Her smile disappeared quickly however, and he could almost sense what was to come out of her mouth next. “Klaus… If you detest Hayley so much, then what exactly is she doing in your house?” Caroline watched his expression drop.

Klaus sighed, and stood up. “I’m going to need a drink for this conversation, love. Would you like anything?”

“I don’t suppose champagne would be appropriate for this conversation,” Caroline smiled, knowing that he had once dubbed the drink ‘their thing’, trying to cheer him up “So I suppose that whatever you’re having would be good, thank you.”

He arched an eyebrow at her reference, but said nothing as he poured the drinks and walked back over to their seats, handing her one before sitting down.

“Hayley is staying here because she is pregnant.” Klaus said gently, clearly trying to gage her reaction.

“Well, yes. That baggy t-shirt wasn’t doing anything to cover up the baby bump, no matter how hard she may be trying, and I heard the extra heartbeat from the moment she walked into the kitchen.” Caroline shrugged. “Poor kid, having her for a mother.” She didn’t know where he was going with this, but it couldn’t be pretty. Maybe they were running a hostel for skanky pregnant werewolves? It could be some twisted Alpha thing he had to do.

“You picked up on the heartbeat?” He seemed surprised. That wouldn’t be something that many would hear, as the child’s heartbeat was very faint, even to his enhanced hearing.

“I’ve been tuning into heartbeats lately as a mechanism to pick out the supernatural beings in a crowd. I like to be prepared. There were only supposed to be two when Hayley came into the kitchen; hers and Katherine’s, but there was a third faint one. I put two and two together as I had already noticed the bump—which I had previously attributed to her just gaining a lot of weight—and the natural conclusion was that she was pregnant. But that still doesn’t answer my question of why she’s here.” Caroline sipped a tiny bit out of her drink, not liking the expression on his face at all.

“Caroline, I believe you have missed my point.” Klaus sighed. “Hayley is pregnant, and the child is mine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll keep this brief: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and the next one is coming up in a couple of minutes--it's Double Update Day!
> 
> -Abi


	6. Part One: Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: “Hayley is pregnant, and the child is mine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Double Update Day to make up for not getting a chapter up last night, so make sure you read chapter 5 before this one!

Caroline blinked twice before downing the rest of her glass in one fell swoop. This was unreal. Klaus had fathered a child. Klaus, the vampire/werewolf hybrid who liked to give her pretty drawings, and was good friends with her, and had told her that he intended to be her _last love_ for god’s sake was going to be a father. And the mother was a skanky werewolf that had snapped her neck.

“Seriously?” She asked, shrieking slightly.

“To be quite honest, Caroline, this is not something that I would joke about.” Klaus’s forearms were resting on his knees, and he was staring at the carpet.

“How did this even happen?” Caroline was in shock. “And why on earth would you sleep with the wereslut? I mean, _really_?”

“It was a liquor-fueled one night stand, love. I honestly am quite annoyed by her presence. And that was before I knew of her misdeeds.”

“No, no, not that. I mean like…okay, you clearly have poor judgement when you’re inebriated, but I was speaking biologically. How is this even possible?” Klaus raised his head, glad that she didn’t seem to be furious. He could tell by her stance that she was irritated, but she wasn’t yelling at him. That could be a good sign.

“While I may be a vampire, my werewolf side is equal in strength. Somehow or another it…happened.” He shrugged. Caroline took in his form, worried at how he was not taking this in his normal manner. He was so defeated, about it. She had always seen Klaus as a strong man. He always seemed to have it all together. But now, this seemed to be the one thing that he couldn’t fix—the one mistake he couldn’t erase either by money or by force. This was a baby.

“Is this why you decided to stay in New Orleans?” She asked. His answer was going to be a deciding factor in whether or not there was _ever_ anything more than friendship between them. It would be understandable if he had come down to New Orleans for this and decided to stay—she really was quite proud that he seemed to be taking responsibility for his child—but it would hurt also. He had asked her multiple times to come with him, but if he was down here only for this… Caroline, Klaus, Hayley, and a baby. That sounded like a soap opera.

“No.” His answer was firm, and Klaus stood up, pacing a bit across the rug. Caroline sat back calmly, understanding that he needed to get something off his chest. “My siblings and I built this marvelous city over three hundred years ago. It was the happiest that we have ever been; we lived in peace with the witches, werewolves, and humans. I had a protégé by the name of Marcellus. I raised him as my own son, and when he wished to be turned, I granted his wish.”

“You loved him, didn’t you?” Caroline asked softly, the answer written across his gestures.

“He was a member of my family from the age of ten. Yes, I did.” He stopped his pacing momentarily, but soon resumed. “In 1919, Mikael found my siblings and I. He set fire to the city, and we were forced to flee. We thought Marcel didn’t make it out.” Klaus ran a hand through his hair.

“But he did.”

“Marcel took my city Caroline, and rebuilt it into his own. He holds the throne that was once mine, and I want it back. He uses the seal of my family, and has warped into his own. He knew we were alive the whole time. We did not exactly live in seclusion. Marcel would have been welcomed with open arms, had he just come back. Instead he chose to steal my kingdom, and that is not something I will tolerate. As of about a week ago, I am at war.” Klaus stopped, and faced the girl on the sofa, who currently appeared to be taking everything in.

“That’s… A lot to handle.” Caroline said. “But it is a very legitimate reason.”

“So you aren’t going to tell me off for being territorial?” He asked.

“As if I have any right!” She chuckled, handing her tumbler to him for a refill. “You’re speaking to the girl who compelled away the competition for captain of the cheer squad! Though, don’t actually tell anyone about that. My mom would kill me.” He couldn’t help it. Klaus burst into laughter. Caroline gave him a dirty look, before giving up and just joining in. “Just think of it as my kingdom. I was queen of my school. It’s like a smaller and much more catty New Orleans!”

“I can certainly draw the parallels, sweetheart. I just find it hilarious that you would find it necessary to compel your competition when you could easily beat them.” He said.

“Oh please. It wasn’t that I could beat them, I knew that. It was that they were annoying me! I have held the leadership position in every single committee or campaign at that school since I was in the tenth grade; unless, of course, you count the ‘Legalize Designer Drugs’ protest; that was run by the stoners and I stayed _far_ away. I take my position as leader very seriously, and the uprising needed to be eliminated.” Caroline set her empty glass down on the coffee table as she spoke, entirely serious.

“So you understand what I am doing, then.” Klaus was impressed. He had expected her to call him something along the lines of ‘an overbearing, egotistical, ass’, but instead she seemed to almost be condoning his actions.

“Let me guess… Right now you’re playing the political game, trying to gain allies while planting seeds of doubt in Marcel’s ranks, correct?” Caroline smiled at his stunned nod of affirmation. “I won Homecoming Queen in freshman year by running an underground smear campaign against Gracie Lockwood. And did I mention that all the informants to the cause had formerly been her dedicated helpers?” She arched an eyebrow. “I’m better at playing the game of thrones than many may think.”

Klaus clapped his hands for a few seconds, applauding her before coming to sit back down. “You truly are a devious woman, aren’t you? I think you will do just fine here in New Orleans. I must confess that I was worried about how you would take everything.”

“Quite frankly, the prospect of being able to witness this war is intriguing, and I need to be here anyways, for Katherine.” She said. “Now, the fact that all of a sudden you’ve got a baby on the way is a bit weird, but I can’t really judge you on that point. Well, other than the fact that your baby mama is a skanky bitch. I mean… You could get a disease from that one.” While…frustrated at the fact that Klaus was having a child with _Hayley_ of all people, they were not together. She had no claim on him or his actions. If he wanted to sleep with the wereslut, then it was perfectly within his realm to do so. Even now, Caroline had no say in what he did, other than as a friend. It may hurt slightly, but it was not her place to tell him that. Taking a deep breath, her gaze shifted from the wall to Klaus, who was currently staring at the carpet once more. “How… How are you feeling about the baby?”

“That’s what you’re asking me? You aren’t mad?” He asked. She seemed to be surprising him constantly today.

Caroline gave him a look. “First of all, I have no claim over your actions. I don’t have a right to be mad, okay? So chill. You’re my friend; I’m not going to get all pissy because you knocked a girl up. I am concerned about how you’re taking this, though. I’m guessing that you weren’t one those guys that wanted a brood of children as a human, and that was a thousand years ago, so I can imagine that you’re going out of your mind right now!”

Klaus just looked at her for a moment, thanking whomever was out there that Caroline Forbes was on this earth. She was saying everything that he needed to hear. He was bloody terrified at the prospect of being a father, and she seemed to pick up on that. He cared for the child already—even if he detested its mother—and he did not want this baby to be harmed because its father was a monster. “It’s a girl. At least, we’re all fairly sure of that. A witch did some test, and thinks that the child is female.”

“A little girl. That’s nice.” She smiled genuinely. “Hopefully she’ll look more like your side.”

“The child…isn’t human. She’s going to be some sort of hybrid. Something different. Her body heals itself like a vampire’s and,” Klaus ran a hand through his hair. “The baby’s blood can make hybrids. Without needing doppelganger blood to turn on. Until we worked it out, Elijah and Hayley were convinced that I was going to use my child as a sort of… _blood bag_ to sire my own private army.” The distaste was evident in his voice.

“Oh my god.” Caroline said. “I mean, I can understand why he would think that; you are the one that daggers your siblings when they piss you off. But that’s your own child! I’m sorry, but you would have to be like…sick in the head to actually do that to a _baby_.” She was clearly horrified; whether it was by the thought of a child being used like that, or the fact that it was his brother who made the assumption, he was not sure.

“I know, love. I must confess that I did not care whether the baby lived or died for quite some time. I have had enough of family betraying over a thousand years, and the last thing that I need is one more member to watch over.” Klaus’s gaze switched from the lovely blonde to the wall. “But then… Hayley tried to get rid of the child with wolfsbane. She was going to put it out of its misery. With a monster for a father, and witches out to kill it, I often wonder if that itself would be more humane. But at the same time...”

“It’s your child. And you find yourself protecting it, even if you’re scared at the idea of being a father, and whether or not your enemies will use the baby to get to you.” Caroline stood and moved to sit beside Klaus, as he clearly was in need of the comfort. No one else would dare give it to him, but he would accept it from her. She placed her hand on his shoulder and rubbed gently in a not-very-intimate gesture, but it was still one that almost crossed their invisible borders of propriety. “You love your daughter already Klaus, even if you don’t want to admit it yet. But she’ll be here soon, and while I don’t doubt that it will be hard being a parent, I think that you will do perfectly fine in the role. The most important thing as a parent is to love your child unconditionally, and support them in every way. I think that you are already there.”

“Love is a weakness, Caroline.”

“You’ve got a kid on the way, Klaus. It can’t be, anymore.”

-0-0-0-0-0-

Back downstairs, Katherine was sitting with the most awkward group of people ever. There was Rebekah, who alternated between hating her guts and ignoring her, Elijah, her ex-boyfriend that was giving her mixed signals, and Hayley, her former minion. Her former minion who happened to be making googly eyes at Elijah. That bitch was going to die. She was Katherine Pierce. She could still rip the little skank limb-from-limb. Elijah may not currently be hers right now, but he was not allowed to be anyone else’s, damn it! Call her petty, or jealous, or a host of other names; she would not care. If a person was hers, they were hers for eternity.

“So, Hally, was it?” Katherine slid out of her seat between Elijah and Rebekah, stilettos tapping along the floor as she slinked to the island, where the wolf had plopped herself on a barstool. Katherine leaned her elbows against the marble countertop, resting her chin neatly on the backs of her folded hands, one heel tapping as she scrutinized the young woman.

“The name’s Hayley. Which you already knew.” The little girl shot back. Oh, she thought she was so rough and tough, living with the Mikaelsons. How wrong she was. Katherine had been around five hundred and thirty eight years, surviving solely on her wits. This child was nothing.

“Oops.” She shrugged, as it was obvious that she had purposefully messed up the name. “It is so easy to get my minions mixed up. There are so many of you, after all.” Katherine smirked. Step One: Illustrate your target’s worthlessness. “Oh wait… I think I do remember you. You’re the annoying one that seemed to always call at the _most_ inopportune moments, with useless information. Like that one time when you called me at three in the morning after I was positively _exhausted_ from, well, just between us girls,” Her stomach turned at the idea of girl talk; as if she would ever do such a thing with this child. “What was an _amazing_ night. Don’t you remember that, ‘Lijah?” She tossed her hair as she abruptly changed gears, shooting the observing man a wicked smile. “I believe you asked if we could just kill the caller to make them shut up, no?”

Elijah arched an eyebrow, but Katherine could tell see the smirk playing on his lips. Damn. He was on to her. She would have to up her game. “Now you’re just being mean, Katerina.”

“Or I could be using you as a good example. You were always the one that told me not to tell lies, after all. Can you really a blame a girl for speaking the truth?” She allowed a pout to cross her face, and batted her lashes innocently.

“Either you two take your flirting to a room, or shut it! I do not want to hear the dirty details of my brother’s sordid affair with _you_. Understand?” Rebekah spoke up, thoroughly unamused.

“Someone’s not getting any.” Katherine muttered, not really under her breath. “What, are you too hung up on Matt to have a dalliance with anyone else?” Probably not the best thing to say when her ex was listening to the conversation, but her last fuck had flown out the window when Hayley started making eyes at her man.

“Do I sense a bit of resentment in that statement, Katherine? Because you sure as hell look pretty hung up yourself. Last time I saw you, you were your normal slutty self. Now you’re like this…washed up version of who you used to be.” Sadly, Rebekah had a thousand years’ worth of comebacks under her belt, which just made this verbal war harder.

“Yeah, it’s too bad that I had to run from yet another psychotic immortal. Do you know how bulky cosmetics are to carry around?” Katherine rolled her eyes. “Not to mention I couldn’t access my alternate IDs and passports. Trust me, if it had been my choice, I would have gone to a very remote house of mine far, far, away from where anyone could find me. So, sorry that I’m not at my absolute best right now. Be glad. If you had taken the cure, I’m pretty sure a thousand years rots a lot faster than five hundred and some change.”

“But there’s a difference between you and me, Katherine.” Rebekah’s eyes glinted evilly as she stood and stalked towards the brunette. “You see, if I had taken the cure, my brothers would have protected me from Silas. You have no one. It must be miserable, being you. You know, waking up to all the bad parts of yourself in the morning, completely alone and terribly weak?” The two women stood eye-to-eye, glaring at each other.

“Touché, Rebekah. Touché.” The words may have hurt, but Katherine knew that they were revenge for what she had said to the blonde in Willoughby. And besides, they were true.

Silence reigned for a moment, Elijah eying the two women in the center of the room carefully, as if he might have to break up a fight in a moment, but it was broken by someone they all had forgotten about.

“Did you two just bond by bitching at each other?” Hayley popped in.

“No!” Katherine and Rebekah answered in unison before throwing mental daggers at each other once more.

“Well aren’t you two just a couple of drama queens?” The little wolf couldn’t seem to just shut up, could she?

“You know, I had really hoped that she had disappeared during our conversation. That would have been perfect. I don’t normally allow my _pets_ in the house, you see?” Katherine completely ignored the other woman, directing her conversation to Rebekah.

“I wish she would have disappeared weeks ago, but alas! That has not yet happened. Now that Nik is insisting upon it, maybe something will actually get done.” Rebekah may not have liked Katherine, but even Katherine was better than her brother’s whiny baby mama.

“You know, I never asked why she was here anyways. I would have thought that she would have been with Lockwood.” Katherine shifted her attention to Hayley. “You really are not doing any wonders for that baby bump with the baggy clothes, you know? Just because you forgot how to use birth control doesn’t mean that you need to let your personal hygiene go.”

“You knew that she was pregnant? And why Lockwood?” Rebekah asked.

“I’m the one who told her she was pregnant. I heard the heartbeat when we met up one time. She wanted confirmation, so I sent her to the Deveraux witch. Janie, or whatever she was called, had a reputation for knowing the manners and matters of werewolves. I had a pregnant wolf on my hands, so she was the most logical choice. I assumed it was Lockwood’s child because I heard rumors from my other informants that those two were an item. Beyond that, my interest in a minion’s child was zero to none.” The brunette rolled her eyes, but very aware that she had missed something important.

“I’m pregnant with Klaus’s kid.” Hayley said seriously. “And I’m stuck in this house because the witches are going to kill me and the baby if I don’t stay here.”

Katherine clapped a hand over her mouth and giggled slightly before sitting back down in her seat. “So that’s what you meant when you said the witches were blackmailing your family last night.” She said to Elijah. Not waiting for an answer, she continued. “Well, I think it is safe to say that my stay in New Orleans is going to be _very_ interesting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the baby plot is included. I did mention in the original tags that I stuck with canon plots, even if I disliked them. Oh, and don't really expect Hayley to get any better. I don't like her, the characters (when they're actually in character) don't like her, and, well, she's going to remain as unlikable as she was during her first appearance. No one likes Hayley except Hayley herself. That's that. 
> 
> Anyways, thank you all so much for reading and kudoing, and I hope you enjoyed Double Update Day!  
> -Abi


	7. Part One: Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: “Well, I think it is safe to say that my stay in New Orleans is going to be very interesting.”

After everyone and their mother’s brother had thrown a hissy fit that morning— it really was only Hayley throwing the fit; apparently there was no more cereal in the manor that was to her liking—Caroline managed to persuade Klaus into taking her on a tour of New Orleans. Being the sneaky little matchmaker that she was, the lady also insisted that Katherine and Elijah accompany them as well. (“It isn’t good for your health to be cooped up in this house, and you really need some sun. You’re looking a bit pale, Petrova.”) Katherine had shot her a glare, but agreed. She had always loved New Orleans.

Rebekah had been invited along as well—a fact that had perked her up considerably and brought a smile to her face—but she had been made to stay home and “protect Hayley from the witches” by Elijah. As if a grown woman needed a babysitter in the first place. Of course, Rebekah staying behind had saved Caroline from having to invite Hayley out as well, for politeness’s sake. The female Original has been quite peeved, even going so far as to agree with Klaus’s suggestion of just handing the werewolf over to the witches and saving the rest of them the trouble of watching her. As they were walking out the door, Caroline felt a bit bad for her sort-of enemy. It would really suck to have to babysit _Hayley_ of all people.

-0-0-0-0-0-

New Orleans was a beautiful city, and Caroline could certainly understand why it was one of Klaus’s favorite places in the world. It seemed to be sentient, with a constant ebb-and-flow of musicians, artists, and tourists. Color abounded, exploding all around in pops and bursts, and the smells that wafted from the various restaurants into her enhanced senses were delectable. As they walked through the French Quarter, Caroline couldn’t help but look everywhere all at once. It was just so much to take in.

“So, love, what do you think of New Orleans? Does it live up to your expectations?” Klaus asked her. Elijah and Katherine were walking slightly ahead, as the other two had taken more time to sightsee.

Caroline had a pensive look upon her face as she turned from viewing her surroundings to the man beside her. “I think that I’m looking upon genuine beauty.” The corners of her mouth turned up into a half-smile. “It’s so…alive. Energizing. I could spend forever here.” Too late she realized that her words could be taken in a context other than her simply visiting the city, and it seemed that Klaus had noticed as well. He was doing the eyebrow-arch-thingy again while smiling. Why did he have to be so damn adorable? “Anyways,” She quickly started before anything got awkward, “I’ve heard the cuisine in New Orleans is to die for. What do you recommend I try?”

“As a matter-of-fact, I know a little bar that is renowned for its gumbo. Shall we go there?” He asked. At her nod in response, he shot off a quick text to Elijah, letting him know of their destination.

“You would find a bar to regularly patron after only being here a short time. What, are you missing the Grille, in all of its five-star glory?” She teased, laughing brightly.

“Don’t tell anyone that I said this, but I got quite attached to that rundown, miserable, little place. It had a certain charm that one only finds in tiny towns in the middle of nowhere.” Klaus laughed at her indignant expression. “You must admit that Mystic Falls is not exactly the most influential town on the map, no matter how dedicated to the Beautification Committee that you are.”

“I will have you know that I quit the Beautification Committee last year because I got too busy. Of course, the town looks terrible now and the parks are falling apart, but what could I expect? They relied upon me.” Klaus laughed, Caroline’s hands landing upon her hips as she let him become very aware of her disapproval. “What on earth is so hilarious?”

“When you said this morning that you were queen of your high school, sweetheart, I think you were grossly understating yourself. You were queen of that whole bloody town.” He calmed down a bit, a teasing smile still present.

She rolled her eyes, and bumped him lightly with her hip. “Oh shush. You aren’t the one that will be getting frantic calls at two in the morning because someone misplaced the number for my usual caterer, or because the floral arrangements clash with the tablecloths. And I won’t even _get_ into the headache that is seating charts. One wrong move, and you could have a brawl on your hands!” Caroline gestured as they walked and talked. “I honestly don’t know what they will do when I leave town. I can’t stay there forever, after all.”

“The town will fall into ruins, and all of the socialite mothers will mourn the loss of the great Caroline Forbes, who was at the top of their ‘Acceptable Women for My Spoiled Son’ list.” Klaus jabbed lightly, and she erupted into a fountain of giggles.

“Well the socialite mothers will have to get over it. I’m too badass for their sons. I would rather die than become a trophy wife.” She proclaimed dramatically, but glancing sideways at him. Sometimes… Well, her doubt got in the way. It niggled at the back of her mind, telling Caroline that all she was meant to be was the resident Disney Princess of Mystic Falls. Before…what she was now, Caroline did not doubt that she would have grown old as some Fell, or Lockwood, or Walters, or any other of the Founding Family member’s smiling-and-bearing-it wife. She would have popped out two-point-five kids, and lived in a nice house with a dog and a husband that pretended to love her in public. Her life would have been spent planning and going to parties. And that would have been it.

Sometimes, it was very hard for Caroline to believe that _Klaus Mikaelson_ , the most powerful being on the planet, could want her. For eternity. That he didn’t just consider her another prize to be won. But then… His words that night—the ones that told her that he was glad that she was too smart to be seduced by him—came back and soothed away her doubt. She may not actually admit her thoughts and feelings about Klaus to anyone else, but in the very deepest recesses of her heart, Caroline knew that he was much more than a close friend. And that is what scared her the most.

“You are too strong-willed to ever be reduced to the position of a trophy wife, sweetheart. That would be an extraordinary waste of potential.” Klaus said. He had seen the look that crossed her face as she tried to cover up her hurts with dramatics, and it both angered and broke his heart. He was a man that had felt much pain in his long, long, life. The thought that Caroline might actually feel some of the very same self-doubt that he felt as well ripped at his core.

“But I wasn’t always, you see. I was a child for so long in my life, even when I got too old to be acting like a child. That is how everyone in Mystic Falls sees me. They still see the girly little Caroline, and that is not who I am anymore.” Her chin was held high, steel in her voice and tears burning at the back of her eyes. This was the last conversation that Caroline had ever expected to have with Klaus, but he was her friend, after all. It was okay. “But it’s alright now.” She pasted on a sunny smile. “I’m moving on.”

“Sometimes we are stifled by the things we love the most. It’s striking the delicate balance between what is right and what is comfortable that is difficult.” Klaus said sagely, his hands clasped behind his back as they walked along the busy street.

“How very Yoda of you.” Caroline giggled. “I thought you were too ancient for Yoda.”

“I have moved along with the times.” Klaus gave her a wry look. “The seventies were particularly interesting.”

Caroline’s response was not what he had expected. “What do you think your life would be like, had you never turned?” She nearly collided with him, dodging a stroller pushed by a young tourist family, probably from the Midwest due to the colleges their shirts were sporting.

Klaus thought for a moment. It was not something that he had pondered much over the years; he liked what he was, and did not wish to be weak again. It was a hard question, and none that had ever thought to ask him it before were ever deigned an answer. “I would have married some girl from the village—one that Mikael approved of, of course—worked, hunted, and in general just survived. There probably would have been a passel of children running underfoot because everyone kept having children to replace the ones who died. It would have been the life that was expected of me. Would I have truly been happy? I do not know. It would have been my only option, and so I would have gone along with it.”

“That sounds like a very simple life. Pleasant, maybe, but simple.” She shrugged.

“That’s because it was.” Klaus agreed. Up ahead, Elijah and Katherine were waiting at the entrance to Rousseau’s, and he quickly changed the topic. “And here we are, love! You can try all kinds of Creole cuisine here.” His brother held the door for the ladies, and they all walked into the little restaurant. It was a charming little place, if a bit dark. Klaus led the party to a table in the back, surrounded by quaint little paintings and unique light fixtures.

“It’s a cute place.” Katherine commented as she took her seat next to Caroline. “Who’s the brunette mentally stabbing you at 10 o’clock?”

Klaus turned to look. “That would be Sophie Deveraux. She’s a witch, and her life is currently linked to the one of my unborn child. Hence why she’s still alive.”

“And clearly she doesn’t like you. Good taste.” Katherine shot back. She paused for a moment as a waitress took their order before turning to Elijah. “Might she be able to stop this charming death that I am currently suffering from? Because I’d like to get back to a normal state before I’m bedridden.”

“As it seems that she is coming over here, why don’t you ask her yourself, Katerina?” Elijah noticed the witch making her way through the tables.

“She’s a witch. They don’t generally like me.” Katherine got in the last word right before said witch appeared at their table.

“What are you all doing here?” Sophie asked, hostility radiating throughout her voice.

“Simply showing our friends around town! Is that such a crime?” Klaus smirked.

“Considering the fact that any friends of yours must be bad news, then yes.” She shot back.

“I kind of take offense to the friend statement. I don’t really consider myself to be his friend. More like…former enemy turned temporary ally.” Katherine raised her eyebrows, bringing Sophie’s attention to her.

“She’s a vampire.” Sophie gestured at Caroline. “But you, you’re something else. You have the air of a doppelganger, but that’s not it…” A puzzled look came over the witch’s face.

“Sadly, for the former. At least I’m the cutest one. The name’s Katherine Pierce.” She smirked. “As for the second part, try former vampire. I got a millennium-old cure for immortality shoved down my throat, and right now, I’m in need of a witch to…fix me.”

Sophie laughed bitterly. “First of all, you wouldn’t ever get my help. You sent Hayley to my sister, and then she died. Secondly, a witch with the power to perform a spell of that caliber is one in a thousand. You’re talking about reversing the effects of an ancient potion. That would require serious amounts of power. Sorry, but it’s not going to happen. You may as well start making funeral arrangements.” She turned to Klaus. “I don’t want your patronage after this.” With that the Deveraux witch went back to where she came from.

Katherine sat in her seat, desperately trying to contain her emotions. She didn’t want to die. Not now, not ever. She was supposed to have eternal life. She was supposed to be powerful and ageless. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not to her. Her eyes were focused on the tabletop, her fingers trembling in her lap. In that moment, she was not five hundred and thirty eight years of age; no, she was eighteen and she had just been told by a second person that she was dying. And she really just wanted her long-dead mother.

“Petrova… Are you okay?” Caroline’s soft voice and gentle hand brought her back to reality.

“Yes. Yes, I’m fine. Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?” Katherine attempted to assure herself, sliding her familiar smirk back onto her mouth.

“Umm….” The other girl clearly tried to not say the obvious.

“I’m fine, Blondie, okay? God.” She shot back, getting pissed. Right now, she just wanted to be left alone.

“No need to get bitchy on me. Though I suppose it’s better than you being a weeping mess.” Caroline rolled her eyes.

“That’s more of my doppelganger’s thing, don’t you think? I don’t cry.”

“Now, I wouldn’t say that. The night before we came here, you seemed to have big, fat, tears rolling down your face.” The blonde girl smirked at the glare she received in response. Elijah quirked an eyebrow, the beginnings of a laugh flitting across his face.

“I positively drunk and we were discussing less-than-pleasant moments in our lives. You were sobbing too.” Katherine huffed, and crossed her arms, steadfastly ignoring Elijah.

“Now that I think about it, we were both sobbing messes that night…” Caroline agreed.

“Remind me never to get you drunk then, love.” Klaus cut in.

“In my defense, it was a _really_ big bottle of bourbon. And since she’s smashed after like three glasses now, I felt compelled to finish off the rest of it. It was a girl’s night, and those nights are meant to get drunk and cry. Normally I would have included chocolate and _The Notebook_ , but I didn’t have all of my resources available at the time.”

“ _The Notebook_? I’ve always found that movie to be overrated.” A new voice said. Caroline’s gaze turned quickly to the blonde newcomer, and narrowed her eyes.

“That is one of the best love stories of _all time_. How on earth could you dislike it? And what is your name anyways?” She asked completely seriously. Katherine snickered in the background.

“It’s a cliché-ridden and overly-sentimental movie.” The intruder retorted. “The name’s Cami. What are you doing with these two?”

“It is a story of undying love and devotion. He loved her as young man, he loved her when she left him, and he loved her when he was old, even when she did not know him anymore. Even you cannot disagree with that.” Caroline turned around fully in her chair until she was facing this Cami person. “Lovely to meet you. And if you must know, I went to high school with Rebekah. We were on the cheer squad together. Anything else personal you want to know?” Well, technically it was the truth, even if that comment gained her an eyebrow raise and an amused look from Klaus.

“It is an illogical movie. Love doesn’t happen like that. Men don’t just wait for women in the real life.” Cami said. “Nope. I think I’m done.”

Caroline’s eyes glinted with what could either be the intent to murder or to bitchslap the human in front of her. “But you see, Cami, real men wait for the woman they love. I’m sorry if you’ve been consorting with the pathetic sort, but that is really your fault.” Raising a perfectly-done eyebrow at the derisive comment out of the other woman’s mouth, Caroline affixed her best queenly look. “I may be a romantic, but at least I don’t have a stick up my ass. You’re more than welcome to leave now.” She made a slight shooing motion, smiling the whole time.

Her tablemates had mixed reactions. Elijah was mainly amused, but hoping that no one caused more of a scene than they already had. Klaus was torn being stepping in for Caroline and letting her fight it out, but he chose the latter. She was magnificent when angry, and he actually enjoyed her scathing words when they were not being used on him. Katherine was just proud. Her favorite baby vamp had just aced Bitch 101.

Cami didn’t leave, however. “Oh. I came over here in the first place to give you this. Marcel sends his regards.” She shoved a piece of paper on the table facedown before heading out the doors of Rousseau’s.

Elijah was the first one to grab the paper, and he quickly scanned it before handing it to his brother. Klaus looked it over—mouthing ‘shit’ in the process—before standing up quickly and shoving the offensive item in his pocket.

“Time to leave, ladies.” He held his hand out to Caroline, who joined him once she realized his not-taking-no-for-an-answer face was on. She looped her hand in the crook of his elbow, as Elijah did the same with Katherine after leaving enough money on the table to cover their bill. The four made their way out and down the road a bit before Caroline stopped.

“What the hell just happened back there?” Caroline noticed that he appeared to be scanning the alleyways as their party made their way to where they had parked.

"I told you of Marcel, Caroline. He's throwing a party this weekend, and from the subtle threat he just sent me, our attendance is mandatory." Klaus sighed, urging her to walk on and back to the car swiftly.

"So he's countering you in the political game." She said, not seeing the problem with this.

"Yes, he is. But he was not supposed to know of your presence in New Orleans until I told him, thus lessening the potential for harm being done to you. We're going to have to keep up your story of being Rebekah's friend for the time being. Marcel has a soft spot for my sister, and so that will keep you in a safer political position." They finally made it back to the car, and Klaus bundled Caroline inside as Elijah and Katherine hurried in. From their expressions, he could tell that his brother had filled Katherine in as well.

"So now I have to pretend to be Rebekah's bestie?" At Klaus's affirming nod, she huffed. "Lovely."

"Before this party, love, we have some business to discuss back at the manor." Klaus said, and Caroline's mind went whirring with the possibilities of what was to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This used to be my least favorite chapter in the entire story--seriously, I'm not even kidding--but with a heavy amount of editing, I think I've managed to wrangle this chapter into something that actually works for the story and keeps everyone IC. I apologize for the length it's taken to update; I just had my wisdom teeth out, and it's been an interesting recovery process. Anyways, I'll be working on more chapters tonight, so here's hoping I get them up!
> 
> Thanks for reading and kudoing!  
> -Abi


	8. Part One: Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: "Before this party, love, we have some business to discuss back at the manor."

“Rebekah, darling, could you come downstairs and stop your temper tantrum? It is extremely unbecoming for a woman of your age.” Klaus called up the stairs as he, Caroline, Elijah, and Katherine walked in the door.

“Oh, are my absentee brothers finally back from their little day trip?” Rebekah appeared at the top of the stairs. “I just got the little wolf to go to sleep. Could you please not shout?”

“She can’t put herself to bed? She’s pregnant, not an invalid.” Katherine snickered. “She’s not even that far along.”

“I am well aware, trust me. But, apparently her ankles were bloated, and she needed a glass—or seven—of water. So I had to fetch them. And then she needed her computer. And then she was hungry.” Rebekah was clearly not amused as she came to stand at the bottom of the staircase with everyone else.

“When I was pregnant I had to go fetch my own damn water. And that sometimes required a hike in the woods.” Katherine muttered, though everyone heard her comment very clearly, and agreed.

“Yet another reason to get her out of this house as swiftly as possible!” Klaus said, shooting a look at his brother.

“I’m going to start checking for places later. There is the manner of getting the witches to approve, however, and we do not want to compromise the security of your child, no matter the misdeeds of the mother.” Elijah explained as the group made their way into a room that Caroline and Katherine had not seen yet.

It was a big room, with maps on two of the walls, and a large table in the center. The maps had different colored pins on them, and various other decorations were placed around the room. Another table with a fancy-looking computer system was set up along one wall, and bookshelves were on the last wall of the room.

Noticing their wondering glances, Rebekah enlightened the other females as to what the room actually was. “This is our strategic headquarters, informally known as the war room. We plan everything in here; there’s one in each of our many homes across the world.”

“You guys actually have a need for something like this?” Caroline asked in awe.

“We spent almost a thousand years running from a man who knew exactly how our minds work. Whether we had split up or were together, a place to stay five steps ahead of Mikael was essential. So yes, we actually do have a need for it.” Rebekah answered frankly. “I’ve tracked my father in a room similar to this one more times than I can count. We’ve planned wars, determined the sizes of rival armies, and finalized the details of subterfuge missions a hundred times over.” She laughed at Caroline’s expression. “What, did you think that just because we’re the Original vampires that life was a party?”

“To be honest, kind of, yes. Stefan had always made it seem like that, and he was our closest authority on you all.” Caroline shrugged.

“Stefan caught us at a very good time in life. The twenties were glorious.” Rebekah smiled, remembering an age where she could dance until she dropped, and the blood flowed free.

“Gloria’s was a lovely little joint back in the day, wasn’t it?” Katherine smirked as all eyes in the room snapped to her. She was leaning against a bookshelf, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

“How would you know about Gloria’s?” Klaus sharply turned from the maps he had been examining on the walls, his brows furrowed.

“I may or may not have spent the duration of the 1920’s within a good, well, twenty yards from you. I got a bit bold, actually, but since I had spent the previous decade making sure Damon was getting along well with vampirism, it was Stefan’s turn to be watched over. I disapproved of his company of course, but what could I do?” A very self-satisfied look took root on Katherine’s face as she took in the reactions of her companions.

“You’re saying that you spent the better part of a decade right at my fingertips, and I never noticed.” Klaus was shocked, and his ego was a bit hurt, if he was to be honest.

“She’s lying! She has to be.” Rebekah crossed her arms. Caroline took a look at Elijah, and she was actually surprised at the _impressed_ look on his face.

“Let’s see… You and Stefan had a penchant for feeding in public. Very messy, if I may say. And then there’s the night Mikael found you two. Didn’t you lose that necklace that ended up becoming my doppelganger’s in the fray? Oh, and white really isn’t your best color, cupcake. It washes you out.” Katherine shot off one after another. By the unhappy look on Rebekah’s face, Caroline knew that she was telling the truth.

“Where did you spend the twenties, Elijah?” Caroline asked, genuinely curious. She missed the looks that his siblings exchanged, however, or maybe she would have considered dropping the topic.

However, the man never got to answer as his sister jumped in. “Oh, he spent that decade moping. He was never really the same after, oh, the mid-186—”

“Enough, Bekah.” Elijah cut in, clearly trying to stop her from saying something. He brought out a few books and a map, arranging them on the table. “We have business to get down too.” Caroline found it very interesting that he wouldn’t look at Katherine in that moment, who was currently very interested in the carpet. She shot Rebekah one of those looks, who nodded imperceptibly, as if to confirm Caroline’s perceptions.

“Yes, business! I want to know if there’s actually a witch within the next fifty miles or so that’s going to stop me from falling apart. I’ve had to give up my high heels because those things _hurt_ when one is rapidly aging, and that does not make me a very happy woman.” Katherine crossed to the table and rolled out the map, avoiding Elijah’s gaze but at the same time trying to not make it awkward.

The rest of the occupants of the room joined them around the table. “Here’s the thing. Other than the out-of-control baby witch named Davina, witches are not allowed to practice magic within New Orleans. But since the covens down here practice something called ancestral magic, they do not have any power outside of the city. And did I mention that Davina is under Marcel’s control and protection?” Klaus said, bracing his arms on the table as he leaned over.

“So you’re telling me that no witch in New Orleans other than Marcel’s personal witch can practice magic in the city. Okay. What about someone else?” Katherine asked, breathing deeply.

“What about that witch you brought to the Masquerade party? The cousin of Bonnie’s?” Caroline popped in.

“Lucy was only there because I saved her life once. After that, she wanted nothing to do with me.” Katherine replied before turning to the Mikaelsons. “Doesn’t your family always have a witch or two on speed dial?”

“We would,” Elijah agreed “but unfortunately they all seemed to perish in Mystic Falls. Kol always had a few dozen that owed him favors, but we have no way of knowing who they were.”

“So basically, right now the best bet for my life is a power-high witch with no training whatsoever who sort of has a tentative alliance with you.” Katherine stared straight into Elijah’s eyes, pretty much done with this whole situation. “In that case, where’s the nearest funeral parlor? I think I might need to start making arrangements.”

Caroline raised her hand. “Um, may I make a suggestion?”

“Have at it, love.” Klaus nudged her side gently.

“Okay. Well, Bonnie may not have her magic anymore, but as the anchor between this side and the Other side, she’s sort of got like… A foot in both. And she can talk to ghosts. So technically, she could talk to Kol and see what he thinks of this situation and maybe if he knows of a witch that could do the job. And if that doesn’t work, then maybe she could coach Davina and help her gain some control. She really misses her magic, and I don’t think she would mind. I mean, I would have to ask her first of course, but I don’t think she would refuse.” She shrugged. To be frank, she knew how much her best friend missed her magic. It was a big part of Bonnie’s life, and she had been cut off from it totally.  It would be good to show her best friend that she could still be involved with magic, even if she couldn’t experience it.

“You’re a genius, Caroline. That is a marvelous idea.” Klaus smiled. It wasn’t so much the saving Katherine part that he was congratulating her for, but for her incredible idea. It was the most likely to work out of all of them.

“Perfect! Then I’ll call Bonnie this weekend—she’s been really busy with classes and adjusting—to ask if she’ll come down! See Katherine, I told you this would work out!” Caroline bounced excitedly.

“The Bennett’s and I don’t exactly have the best track record. Let’s not get our hopes up.” The latter smiled weakly.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Some time that night, Katherine was headed back to the ‘strategic headquarters’, as Rebekah had so pompously put it, to look for a book on types of magic that she had seen in there. When meeting her long-lost and now absent vampire daughter, she was reminded of a few things from her childhood that she had wanted to forget. However, she had not expected to find Elijah poring over the maps outstretched on the table, his suit jacket hung on the coat rack by the door, and his tie loosened a bit. It was a scene that she had seen many times while they were hunting for the cure, and it took her back to a happier time. A time where she had actually believed in love once more.

“It’s late. I hadn’t expected to see you in here.” Katherine said as she strutted into the room.

He looked up, and raised an eyebrow. “It is late, Katerina.” Elijah agreed. “I am trying to find a place to put Hayley so that my brother does not murder her. What might you be doing?”

Her back was to him by now as she was browsing for the book. “Looking for a book that I saw earlier.” Katherine said vaguely. “Your brother won’t kill the little wolf, and you know it. You’re just doing this to appease Klaus.”

“And how do you know that?” He asked, genuinely interested.

“As much as it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, I know how Klaus thinks. If he had ever planned on killing the werewolf girl—and subsequently the baby—he could and would have done it already. He may be a sadistic ass, but even I don’t think Klaus is cruel enough to kill his own kid.” Narrowing her eyes as she could not seem to find the correct book, Katherine bent over and began browsing the lower shelves. “Hayley seemed all over you this morning.” She commented. And it seemed as if her filter had disappeared when she turned human. Stupid mouth.

“Hayley and I are friends, nothing more.” Elijah countered as he averted his eyes from her form and went back to marking spots on the map.

“You probably should let her know that. She was stripping you of that _delectable_ suit mentally in the kitchen this morning. I mean, she’s knocked up with your brother’s kid. Talk about trashy.” Katherine scoffed. Whoops. There goes the verbal filter once more. Stay guarded.

He smirked stealthily, and looked over at Katherine just as she glanced back at him. “Katerina, are you… _Jealous_?” Elijah could feel a slight smile creeping on his face. To be honest, he would like it if that were the case. Leaving this marvelous woman was the biggest mistake of his life.

Yes. Of course she was bloody jealous. He had spent the entire summer with the werebitch, doing god knows what. “Me? Jealous? Please.” Katherine rolled her eyes. “I’m just making sure that you haven’t lowered your standards, being down here in New Orleans. I mean, going from me to _her_ , well, that’s a bit of a backslide.” Seeing the book she had been looking for, she grabbed it and stood up.

“Finally found what you were looking for?” Elijah asked, sensing that she did not really want to continue with their previous vein of conversation. “What is it, may I ask?”

“That would be yes to your first question, and a ‘see for yourself’, for the second.” Katherine pulled a chair next to him as he scooted over some papers before grabbing the book. She reclined back as he scanned the table of contents.

“Well, since I assume you do not wish to read about cults around the world… It’s the Travellers, you’re curious about, correct?” Elijah was confused as to why Katherine would be reading about that pack of magic-practicing gypsies called Travellers, but he waited for her explanation.

“To make a very, very, long story short… My long-lost daughter showed up in Mystic Falls!” Katherine made the sarcastic jazz hands that she had seen Caroline use on more than one occasion before continuing. It would suffice to say that Elijah was shocked. “Anyways, Nadia is obviously a vampire now, but before she turned, she was a Traveller.”

“But that would mean…”

“I know. It didn’t click until I was browsing through this book earlier. My father was a Traveller—non-practicing, yes—but a Traveller nevertheless. I’ve known that since childhood. Looking back, I guess I could have practiced in England, but I really wasn’t concerned with delving into my family’s history back then. And even though I’ve never had any training or any of that and I really don’t even know what I could do with this stupid gene, if it poses a possibility of me surviving, then I might just do it.” Katherine sighed, running a hand through her hair.

“It certainly is something to look into, Katerina. If it saves your life, then it is most definitely worth pursuing.” Elijah said sincerely. He could not imagine a world without Katerina Petrova in it. He had been so broken, those years that he had believed her to be dead. It was what his worst nightmares consisted of, after Mikael coming and torturing his siblings. She was the woman that made him feel again, even when he was not supposed to feel anything. She had made him fall madly in love, and he could not let this charming woman go. He would not let her go again.

“I’m just…” Katherine started, running her hand over her face, smearing her eyeliner slightly in the process, knowing that she was about to venture into very dangerous territory with this man. “I can feel it. I can feel myself degenerating every single day. My eyesight is going. Same with my hearing. My hair? Well, this is dyed, because otherwise there’s a shit ton of grey in my hair, and I look terrible. It’s harder and harder to get out of bed every morning because I’m in pain. I’m in real _pain_ that I can feel deep in my bones for the first time in five hundred and twenty years, and it scares me to death. God, I can’t even make death jokes anymore, because they might actually happen.” Katherine turned away from Elijah, and tried to breathe in deeply, but it wasn’t working and she started to hyper-ventilate, tears creeping at the corners of her eyes. “Oh god. I’m dying. I’m actually going to die. Five hundred and thirty-eight years and it ends like this.”

Elijah stood up and swept over to her, Katherine breaking down once she felt his arms around her. The last time they had been in a position like this, he was mourning his brother’s death. Now instead, it was her death she was mourning.

She was a woman that prided herself on being strong, independent, and fierce. She had spent the centuries alone, surviving solely on her wits. But Elijah had always had a way of making her come undone. He did not treat her as if she were still the girl he had fallen in love with so many years ago—he was more than aware that she had changed too much for that—but he did treat her as if that girl had not died completely. He was the only one to act as if maybe she wasn’t the monster that everyone portrayed her to be. It was one of the reasons that she loved him.

It was only around Elijah Mikaelson that Katherine Pierce thought it okay to cry, and cry she did.

“Katerina, shhh.” As he held the sobbing woman confronting her imminent demise to his chest, stroking her hair, Elijah could not help but feel sad. If they did not find a cure for this disease, she would be dead, and soon. That could not happen. “Katerina, it shall be alright.”

“You don’t know that, damn it.” She spluttered out, making him chuckle.

“I do. We will search the ends of the earth until we find a cure for you, and then you will be able to enjoy your life. I promise it.”

Katherine took a step back, drying her eyes roughly and breathing deep, calm breaths. “Please don’t make promises you can’t keep. Not again. I can’t handle it one more time.” Sadly, Elijah knew what she was referring to. It was in London, about six months ago.

_Katherine yawned, padding downstairs. It was very late, but Elijah hadn’t come to bed and as much as she needed her beauty sleep, whatever was going on with him was more important. Tying the belt of her robe over her short nightdress, she ran a hand through her messy hair as she walked in the study._

_“Did I wake you, Katerina? I apologize, if so.” Even in her sleepy state, Katherine could appreciate the sight of her partner poring over files, sleeves rolled up and tie loosely hanging around his neck._

_“You didn’t come to bed. I was just checking on you.” She crossed to behind his desk, perching on the arm of his very comfy chair, and leaning her head on his shoulder._

_“There were just a few more things that needed to be organized before you leave in the morning. I would go with you, but,”_

_“You can’t. Your sister can pick up your scent from a mile and a half away. Mine will be covered by my doppelganger being present, but stealth is crucial. It will be easy. I’ll get in, grab the cure, and get out. The safehouse in Pennsylvania is sufficiently prepared for my impending arrival, and you can join me there once it is clear.” Katherine stated. As much as she would like for him to go with her to get the cure, it was too much. It was a tiny island, and ever since she had gotten the call the day before that the Mystic Falls gang was on the move, the two of them had gone into overdrive mode to beat them there. “Will you…”_

_Elijah did not need to hear the rest of her sentence to know that she was speaking about Kol, who had not been dead forty-eight hours yet. It was just he, Niklaus, and Rebekah left of their once-large family. It was a shame. “I will be just fine, Katerina. You do not need to worry about me.”_

_“You aren’t doing a very good job of convincing me of that fact, you know” Katherine shot back._

_“Nevertheless, it is the only answer you will get, ergo, you will have to accept it.” Elijah enjoyed the feeling of Katherine’s body leaning on him, and absentmindedly played with the ends of her hair._

_“Stupid man.” He faintly heard her mutter._

_“Impulsive woman.” He retorted, satisfactorily enjoying her huff of indignation that he got in response._

_They sat like that for a few moments, simply breathing in the other, reveling in the fact that they were able to spent such unrestrained moments with the one that each had yearned after for over five centuries._

_In the end, it was Katherine who broke the silence. “Life will be nice, I think, once I am free. We can be happy for the first time in a very long time.”_

_“Being happy. Together. That does sound very nice.” Elijah agreed._

_“You were the first man that I ever loved, did you know that? I think you might be the only one that I ever truly fell in love with, now that I think about it.” Katherine said, her voice taking on a tone that worried Elijah._

_“You know that I love you, Katerina. But what is troubling you? I can tell that there is something.” He swiveled in his seat, facing her, stroking her cheek lightly._

_She closed her eyes for a moment. “I have a bad feeling about tomorrow. I feel as if something is going to happen. Something terrible.”_

_“Whatever happens, it will not affect us. You are mine now, Katerina, for eternity. I promise.” Elijah spoke the ill-fated words, thoroughly meaning them._

_“I’m going to hold you to that.” Katherine yawned. “But right now, I’m exhausted, and there’s a flight at 7 in the morning waiting on me. And you are required to see me off at the airport, so I suggest that we get to bed.” She stood and grabbed his hand. He joined her, and they walked up to their room, going to bed shortly after, dreaming of what the future could hold._

Both Elijah and Katherine shook themselves out of the pleasant memory they had been experiencing. It was a happier time, then. They were virtually untouched, and their relationship had been allowed to flourish without the critical opinions of everyone they knew. Of course, that meant that once reality hit, they were put to the test, and unfortunately they failed.

Katherine took another step away from her former lover, and ran a hand through her hair, avoiding his eyes. “Look, I’ve got to get back to bed. I’m tired.” She turned away and managed to get to the door before he called out after her.

“We both know that’s a lie, Katerina.” Elijah could always be counted on to challenge her, that was for certain.

She whirled back around, her robe fanning around her legs, a stern expression on her normally smirking face. “Damn it, Elijah, of course it’s a lie! But I can’t go there right now. We may be living in the same house, but this isn’t London. I want to get back to what we had, but I cannot. Not while I am dying. I won’t do that to you, and I won’t do it to me. And even if I do manage to survive this, I’m not even sure if I can go back to what we were.” Her expression turned sad. “You broke me. Part of it was my fault as well, I suppose. I am not completely blameless in this situation. And I know that you had to be here for your family. But it doesn’t change the fact that you tore my heart to shreds when you walked out that door. That is going to take a lot of getting over.” Sighing, she looked up at the ceiling before back at him, a sad smile on her face. “Goodnight, Elijah. And don’t stay up too late. Over-working yourself will get you nowhere.”

With that, Katherine left the room before Elijah could get another word in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I really love writing the group dynamics between the whole ensemble, and Kalijah is one of my favorite ships to write, if you can't tell, haha. Anyways, thank you all so much for reading and kudoing!
> 
> -Abi


	9. Part One: Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: ‘With that, Katherine left the room before Elijah could get another word in.’

Caroline rolled her eyes as she trudged down the stairs. Everyone but she and Klaus had left that morning—Elijah and Katherine had gone to see that Davina chick, and Rebekah had been saddled with escorting Hayley to a doctor’s appointment—so it had just been the two of them in the house. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as awkward as she had thought it would be. They had worked on mapping out some locations to go searching for wolf packs to turn into hybrids, and after a few arguments and a couple smashed lamps, Caroline had managed to get him to agree to only turn willing werewolves. She had tried to get him to unsire any that he would make, but that just turned into a big debate about betrayal and they agreed to disagree on the sirebond topic. The only reason she had even left Klaus and their plans was because the doorbell was ringing incessantly, and he was in the middle of making the final decisions on where to go look.

“You know, ringing the doorbell once would have been sufficient.” Caroline said as she wrenched open the door. When she saw the blonde from last night, she was shocked. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Oh look, it’s the cheerleader. I have an appointment.” The older woman said, brushing past her.

“I am more than just a cheerleader, thank you very much!” Caroline stomped up the stairs as the intruder continued through the house to Klaus’s study. Clearly she had been here before. “Klaus, what is the love-hating crazy person doing here?” She trailed in after Cami, who she now noticed was carrying a very large bag.

“Ah, Cami. You’re here. Let’s get on with it, shall we?” Klaus set what he was working with down, looking amusedly at Caroline, who was standing just in the room, her hands in a ‘what the hell is going on’ gesture. “Love, Cami is undertaking the monumental task of writing down my biographies. We’re in the…oh, 1300’s, I believe. You are more than welcome to listen in, if that would please you.”

Caroline looked from Klaus’s hopeful face to Cami’s displeased one, and made her decision. “I would love to.” She smiled before shooting a glare to Cami when Klaus’s back was turned. The younger blonde sat in one of the chairs while Cami sat on the opposite one, her typewriter sitting on the coffee table.

“Well then, let’s get started!” Klaus smiled. “In 1345, Rebekah, Elijah, Kol, and I were in Persia…”

-0-0-0-0-0-

“So how far is it to this Davina chick’s place?” Katherine asked as she and Elijah rode to the witch’s location. “I’m getting bored.”

“You will be pleased then, to know that your ride is over.” Elijah said as they pulled up in the parking lot of the abandoned church.

“Quite pleased, yes.” Katherine got out of the car before he could walk over and open her door, crossing her arms petulantly. “Well? Let’s go meet this little witch!”  She gestured towards the doors with one hand.

“You, Katerina,” Elijah held open the door as they walked in the building, “are a piece of work.”

“I know.” She smirked. “Now, where do we go from here?”

“If you would be patient and follow me, then I could show you.” Elijah gave her one of those looks that made Katherine want to both smack and kiss him. Infuriating man. At least he took the lead, and led her through the back of the building and up some stairs.

“I don’t take orders very well.”

“As I am more than well aware.” Elijah knocked on a door at the end of a hallway. “Davina? It’s Elijah Mikaelson. Can you open the door?”

Katherine crept up behind him, and raised up on her toes to whisper in a low voice, “Visiting young girls in their bedroom? How improper, _Lord_ Elijah.” Of course, she got a dirty look in response, but it was enough to plaster a wicked grin on her face for a few moments before the door opened. Behind it was pretty girl with dark hair, golden skin, and rosy cheeks, clad in a light green dress.

“Hello, Elijah. I hadn’t expected to see you here today.” Davina said, making way for them to step in. “Who is this?” She asked, clearly surprised that she did not have to invite Katherine in.

“Katherine Pierce, formerly known as Katerina Petrova, but only Elijah calls me that, so just stick with Katherine.” Katherine sauntered in the room after Elijah, offering a hand to shake, which Davina took, shaking Katherine’s hand lightly. “And since you’re going to get weird vibes from the witchy juju reading thing, I’ll just go ahead and clear a few things up for you. I am a doppelganger, a former vampire now turned human, and in general the monster under your bed. That about cover everything you wanted to know?”

Davina shook her head for a second, clearly still taking in the vibrant and stiletto-clad Katherine Pierce.  “What witchy reading thing are you talking about?”

“Wow. You weren’t kidding when you said she was unskilled in magic.” Katherine commented to Elijah, before turning back to the young witch. “With every witch that I’ve ever met—and trust me, I’ve met more than my fair share—they can get a general reading on a person my making skin contact. I don’t know how it works, but I know that it’s possible.”

“Um, okay.” Davina blinked a couple of times. “Did you bring me any more pages?” She asked Elijah.

“As a matter of fact, I did.” He pulled two folded papers out of his jacket pocket and handed them over. “Those should challenge you sufficiently.”

She snatched them, and smiled. “Thank you! It’s so boring in here, so this should stop that for a bit.”

“How much longer do you have to wait out the witches?” Katherine asked as she browsed some of the artwork on display. “These are pretty good, by the way.”

“A few months, I guess. I don’t know how long, exactly. I guess one day it’ll just… Happen. And thank you.” The younger girl shrugged. By now Elijah had taken a seat on one of the chairs in the room while the ladies talked.

“I was wanted for a blood sacrifice, once.” Katherine turned to look at the girl that was perched on the bed. “Of course, that was back in 1492, and it was to break a curse on Klaus. I got the short straw, being born a doppelganger. It’s a curse, really. Everyone wants you to die because you look like some chick from five hundred years ago.”

“What happened? Because clearly you aren’t dead.” Davina asked, intrigued. It wasn’t often that you met someone who had been in a situation like this before.

“I killed myself.” Katherine said nonchalantly. “And then I woke up a vampire. I had intended to stay dead, but there was vampire blood in my system and, well, the whole staying-dead part didn’t work out. Of course, I suppose I didn’t have to go through with it, but considering I didn’t know what the hell I was doing… Anyways, here I am, five hundred and twenty years later!”

“The whole point of me waiting the witches out is so I _don’t_ die.” Davina pointed out, crossing her arms. “So don’t even think about turning me.”

“It’s not like I could anyways, cupcake. Plus when your kind get turned they’re always so annoying. Blathering on about ‘the loss of their connection to nature’ and all of that bullshit. I made the mistake once. I won’t do it again.” The older girl went and sat on the opposite end of the bed from Davina.

“My magic is so out of control, I don’t even know if I would miss it.” The girl shrugged, looking down at the bedspread. “I had only come into my powers a few months before the ritual. And now… I blackout at weird times. Whenever someone does magic within the Quarter, I can tell, and it messes with my head. It hurts a bit, you know? I don’t know any way to get rid of this energy, either. Sometimes I get nightmares from it. Mainly elemental stuff, but I know it’s caused by this extra magic.” Her voice choked up a bit. “It scares me. All the time. I didn’t ask for this. I don’t want my friends’ magic. I just want to be normal.” Davina was shaking, she was stressing so much about this.

Katherine sighed, knowing the terror that the girl was going through. Plus it didn’t help that the little witch was similar in looks to one of her younger sisters. It just made ignoring her all the harder. She scooted closer, giving Elijah a ‘what the hell do I do about this?’ look before patting the girl on the back a couple of times. “Um, it’s going to be fine. And while you can’t get rid of your magic, I know someone who might be able to help you get it under control.” 

“Really?” Davina asked in a quiet voice. It was clear that she hadn’t been crying, which gave Katherine a small sense of satisfaction. This chick was tougher than many gave her credit for.

“Bonnie’s a friend of a friend, I guess you could say. She doesn’t have her magic anymore, but we think that she would be willing to coach you through the process of learning to control it. She was of the Bennett witches… I’m sure you have heard of the family line?” Katherine was proud to be associated with the Bennett line, no matter how much she may have betrayed it over the years. They had always been a very powerful family, and gained a noble reputation in the supernatural world.

“I’ve heard of it, yes.” Davina replied, her voice betraying a tiny bit of awe. “And you think she’ll be able to help me?”

“Her friend Caroline is going to call this weekend and ask officially, but she’s sure that her friend will do it.” Katherine said.

“I think I would like that. Maybe it won’t be so bad if I can get my magic under control.” She smiled.

Suddenly, Elijah cut in. He had been so quiet, that they had almost forgotten his presence. “Sadly, we must cut this visit short. It is around the time for Marcel to make his daily visit, correct Davina?” When the girl glanced at the clock and nodded, he stood. “It will not do for us to be seen here. Please, enjoy the spells.”

“I’ll visit again.” Katherine stood. “Maybe next time I’ll even bring Caroline with me. She’s only a bit older than you, I think, and you two might get along well. Though she’ll want to take you shopping for more clothes.” Neither woman thought that that necessarily was a bad thing, but instead they just smiled at each other.

“As soon as I have word on Miss Bennett, I shall notify you.” Elijah said, offering Katherine his arm as she walked over.

Davina just nodded in response, closing the door softly as the pair walked down through the church. No words were said as they hurried out and away from the church.

Once they had driven away, Katherine spoke up. “Well, where to now?”

“Now we get to go ruin our shoes in the bayou.” Elijah said wryly, sending a mirthful glance at the stilettos she had chosen to wear. “I need to go check out the possible locations to relocate Hayley to.”

“Do I look like the kind of person that goes traipsing in the swamp? I don’t think so.” Katherine gave Elijah one of her best ‘bitch, please’ looks.

“You wanted to come along, Katerina. It’s not my fault you chose terrible footwear.”

“I wanted to see the little witch! Not go house hunting for the bitchy baby mama!” She looked over and saw the smirk present on his face, before shifting into a pout, seeing that she wasn’t getting out of this. “Ass.”

-0-0-0-0-0-

Rebekah was relieved. Hayley the Whiny Werewolf had not wanted her present at the doctor’s office, and so she had gladly ditched the girl for a bit of alone time. Wandering around the general area, she had found a new thing that she simply could not live without. This confection that they called ‘fro-yo’ was simply delicious, and the fact that she could put as many toppings on as she bloody well wanted to made it even better.

When she had found the fro-yo shop, she had simply thought it was another ice cream parlor. Rebekah was just going to grab a quick bite of chocolaty goodness, and then wander around a bit more. Then she saw that she actually had to go get the ice cream herself, and there was candy, and now it was to the point where she was considering installing a fro-yo place in the kitchen back at the manor. It would certainly liven up parties.

So there Rebekah sat, casually enjoying her very large and chocolate-filled bowl of frozen yogurt on the porch of the little shop in New Orleans. If she could just forget for one minute that she had to go back and pick up the wolf, it would actually be a perfect day. That is, it would have been until she saw who was coming up the street next. It was the Lockwood boy and Marcel, happily chattering on as they lazily meandered up the street, looking like the best of friends.

Quickly collecting her purse and half-finished bowl of fro-yo, Rebekah darted to the side of the building, hoping to catch wind of their conversation. And thankfully she did, for it was a very important conversation, indeed.

-0-0-0-0-0-

“Niklaus? Nik, get your bloody arse down here because I have something you’re going to want to hear!” Rebekah said as she stomped in the house, shooing away Hayley, who of course just plopped herself down in the nearest chair. “Nik, I don’t care if you and Caroline are fucking each other’s brains out up there, you need to get down here right. This. Second!”

“Yeah, I so didn’t want to hear that.” Hayley fixed Rebekah with one of her trademark condescending looks.

“And I don’t give a rat’s ass about what you think, so you can suck on that.” The blonde shot back as Klaus and Caroline came down the stairs, shooting her glares.

“What do you want, Bekah?” Klaus asked, leaning against the stair railing and crossing his arms.

“I just thought that you might like to know that that pain in the arse hybrid of yours is traipsing around the Quarter looking like he’s Marcel’s new best friend.” Rebekah said smugly.

“I thought he left when I told him to do so.” Klaus said lazily.

“Wait, Tyler’s here?” Caroline asked, shock woven in her voice.

“Yes, he is. Has been for a few days. Why, did you know that he would be? Maybe you sent him down here in the first place.” Rebekah advanced menacingly on the younger blonde.

“No… I didn’t.” Caroline shook her head frantically, taking a step back. “I knew that he was looking for Klaus, but that’s nothing new, you know? I didn’t tell him that you all were living here.”

“And how do I know that you’re telling the truth? I know that you’ve been quite the actress over the years, Caroline.” Rebekah had the look of a predator on her face, ready to defend them at all costs. Caroline just shook her head, not wanting to explain exactly why. “Well, Caroline? Because you’re looking awfully suspicious right now.”

“Because we broke up, okay?” Caroline shouted, turning red and not even daring to look at Klaus. “It was the day before Katherine moved into the dorm. He wanted to go looking for you guys, and expected me to wait for him until he came back again. I just couldn’t take it anymore, not after all I got all fucking summer from him was like two phone calls, even though I had had all these plans, and he knew that, but no, this werewolf pack in Oregon or wherever the hell he actually was needed him more than I did!” Tears started to blur her vision, but she suppressed them by sheer force of will. She wouldn’t cry. Not now. “I mean, the only reason he even actually showed up was because of Bonnie’s funeral, and that wasn’t until the last possible minute and I was just done. So I told him if he walked out the door, then we were over. No more phone calls or surprise visits or anything. No more Tyler and Caroline.” She mentally tried to calm herself, not that it worked. “And then he looked back at me, and walked out.”

Rebekah nodded apologetically, as clearly the girl had not wanted to share this tidbit of information in front of Nik, who currently looked as if he couldn’t decide between hugging Caroline or going out to rip Tyler’s head off. “I believe you.” She said simply. She knew the pain of heartbreak too well, and it was not pleasant. It was time to lay off of Caroline’s case.

“Thank you.” Caroline said in a soft voice. She sighed deeply before turning to head back up the stairs, before she heard another comment.

“Should’ve kept him around. He was really good in bed.” Hayley said, a look present on her face that could have been smug, had she actually had that expression. Instead, it looked as if she had something nasty in her mouth.

Caroline stopped her ascent, and turned on her heel before walking back down the stairs, fury seething in her eyes. She rounded the corner to where the werewolf was sitting, grabbed the front of the girl’s shirt, and jerked her up to where they were at eye level with each other. “You listen to me right now, Hayley. I have tolerated you for a very long time. I put up with you staying in my ex-boyfriend’s house, even when insinuations had been made about the two of you. I didn’t say anything when you snapped my neck because I was going to go stop your little hybrid sacrifice. But right now? I am not tolerating you anymore. And the only reason that your heart is currently not lying on the floor is because you happen to be pregnant. So, I suggest that you stop making those little comments of yours before I make you.” Her tone was deathly cold and emotionless. She turned away, heading back in the direction she had come from.

“Oh yeah? What would you actually do? Pour nail polish on me?” Hayley stupidly tested.

Caroline rolled her eyes, not even stopping. “Last time I checked, you didn’t need a tongue to give birth.”

When Hayley turned to the Mikaelson siblings for support, they certainly did not react in the way that she wished for them to. Klaus just shrugged, giving her an ‘I agree with Caroline’ look, and Rebekah could honestly say that she felt the same.

Just then, Elijah and Katherine came tumbling in the door, soaking wet and laughing at who knows what, for this is Katherine and Elijah, and they are not the type of people that laugh excessively. Unfortunately their ‘moment’ was ceased by the looks that they were getting, and the fact that something had clearly gone down.

“What did we miss?” Katherine asked, her shoes in hand.

“Oh, nothing much. Now remove yourself from that rug and go dry off. You are making a mess, and I dislike messes.” Rebekah dismissed.

Elijah approached Klaus, pulling him aside, a grim expression on his face.

“What is it, brother? Judging by your expression, I doubt I will enjoy the news.” The younger brother said.

“That would be correct.” Elijah acquiesced. “I cannot find a place to put Hayley. Katerina and I spent all afternoon traipsing through the swamp in an effort to find a suitable place, but there is none whatsoever; not unless you wish to insure the death of your child.”

“There is no place whatsoever? And you checked all the options?” At his brother’s nod, Klaus sighed. “Fine. She can stay here until we can arrange alternate arrangements elsewhere. But the moment something becomes available, she is out of my house. I do not wish to have to put up with her after her betrayal.”

“You have at least eighteen years more of this, Niklaus.” Elijah cautioned. “Try and be civil.”

“I wouldn’t count on that.” A voice from the doorway interjected. “You see, I’ve got less five months of this left. After that, you can have the kid. I don’t care to stick around.” Hayley came walking in, holding an envelope which she shoved in Klaus’s hands. “Here. They gave it to me and I don’t want it, so… Do whatever you want with it. And yeah, I’ve thought about my decision. My life has no place in it for a baby. Don’t try to talk to talk me out of it.” She quickly turned and walked out.

“Looks like I only have five more months left to deal with her, Elijah.” Klaus smiled cheekily. He didn’t open the envelope until he was back in his private study, and when he did, it was something that made the most powerful creature on the planet take a seat. It was ultrasound pictures of his child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So first of all, thank you all for reading and kudoing! I really appreciate it. This chapter is...I wouldn't say one of my favorites, but I don't dislike it either. It's just kind of in the middle for me. Some of my favorite chapters are coming up though, and Part One of this story is drawing to a close in a couple of chapters! 
> 
> Anyways, I would love any comments you all have to offer this chapter or the story overall, and again, thank you so much for reading!
> 
> -Abi


	10. Part One: Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: ‘…it was something that made the most powerful creature on the planet take a seat. It was ultrasound pictures of his child.’

It was early the next morning; by now, Katherine and Caroline had been in New Orleans for three full days. Marcel’s party was the following evening, and the ladies of the house had plans to go shopping later on. Of course, that would be many hours later, as it was currently four in the morning, and everyone but Rebekah was fast asleep. She had something to take care of, and it was a matter that did not require her family’s input.

The pretty words that Marcel had fed her—that he wanted her to be his _queen_ —had been replaying in her head for days on end. She had not made an official decision at the moment he asked her. Now, she had her answer.

Rebekah reclined against the outer wall of her old home. The ‘M’ that had once been her family’s personal crest adorned every surface that it possibly could—short of being obnoxiously tacky, that is—and it evoked a strange feeling in the thousand year old woman’s stomach. “You’re late, Marcellus.” She said, unimpressed with his tardiness.

“I got held up, Rebekah.” He crossed his arms, looking her over like a lion would to a fresh cut of meat. “So, what’s your answer? Are you going to join me at your rightful place as Queen of the city, or will you continue at the side of your destructive family?” She avoided his eyes. “They will never change, Rebekah. You should just leave them and be finished. Take the right side in this war.”

“My family may be the poster child for dysfunction,” The lady agreed “and maybe I should leave while I have the chance. But you underestimate the bonds of my siblings. We may alternate between hating and loving each other, but we are family. And we stick together as one.” Rebekah pushed herself off the wall and looked the man who had charmed her into submission square in the eye. “I refuse to become your trophy queen, Marcel. You will not possess me for a third time. I will stand beside my remaining brothers in this war for the city, and my family and I will win. You have been playing king amongst children for too long. Consider yourself, and your crown, at risk.”

With that, Rebekah Mikaelson walked away from the man that had managed to weasel his way back into her heart, not even turning around at his calls of protest. She had done it yet again. She had been that girl that fell in love too easily, and even with his betrayal centuries ago, she had actually allowed herself to believe that he had changed. That he loved her. Well, he did not. All she had been was a prize to be won. Something that could be dangled over Elijah and Klaus’s heads. Rebekah herself had been nothing to the man that she had just left, and she now saw that.

She was done. If there had been a humanity switch left, the young woman might have considered switching it off. And it was not because of extreme grief, or because something traumatic happened. No, it was because Rebekah’s heart had been broken yet again by an unworthy man, and while this one hurt just like all the other times, this was the last straw.

She was finished with love. For now, at least.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Rebekah had managed to get home before anyone noticed that she left, as her brothers had not exactly been notified of her and Marcel’s renewed tryst. Not that there actually _was_ a tryst, anymore. Good riddance to the asshole, in her opinion.

Everyone eventually gathered for breakfast, and when Caroline came down, Rebekah was surprised to see that the girl was still as sunshine-like as ever. Honestly, it was like rainbows and glitter followed her wherever she went. She had expected the girl to be in a less-than-happy mood, and that’s exactly what she told Caroline.

“What, because of me and Tyler breaking up?” Caroline raised her eyebrows. “That was almost two weeks ago. I’m getting over it; you just hit a nerve last night.” Every morning thus far, the seating arrangements at the breakfast table had stayed the same, and Caroline took her normal seat directly in the middle of the table. “Now, hurry up! We need to leave soon.” She quickly switched topics, clearly a bit uneasy about discussing Tyler in front of Klaus, of all people.

“Leave to go where?” Elijah asked from behind his newspaper.

“Katherine, Rebekah, and I are going dress shopping for that party tomorrow night. I know that Katherine and I are going to need full ensembles… Rebekah, what’s the state of your closet?” Caroline asked rhetorically, tapping away on her phone, mapping potential stores. “I’ve been thinking colors and styles and I think you would look best in blue with maybe a mermaid style—you pulled off the dress at your family’s ball fabulously, so I was thinking like that—and then we’ve got jewelry and shoes to think about.” Feeling the stares, she looked up. “What? This party is clearly a political move by Marcel! We have to be dressed to kill, and I do not mean literally!”

Rebekah rolled her eyes. “You really are a control freak.” However, internally she liked the idea of a girlfriend helping with the dress process. She hadn’t done this in like…ever.

“Like you’re any less of one.” Caroline scoffed. “Now, I brought my whole arsenal of makeup and hair products from the dorm,”

“By which she means almost a small suitcase full…” Katherine interjected, shooting Caroline a playful wink.

Caroline continued, ignoring the interruption. “So, I figured that we ladies could combine efforts and get ready together. These things are always so much more fun when you don’t have to do it all alone, and then maybe we can decompress together afterwards or something. I know a few movies that we could watch.”

“I would really enjoy that.” Rebekah grinned, which made Caroline happy as well. She had seen the lingering glances the older vampire had given her and her friends in Mystic Falls, and eventually she had reached the conclusion that Rebekah was just lonely. Travelling the world with your _brothers_ for a thousand years doesn’t exactly leave much room for girl time, after all.

“Since I haven’t exactly had the pleasure of experiencing a Caroline Forbes coordinated Girl’s Night, I will of course be up for this.” Katherine commented idly, sipping her mug of tea.

“Perfect!!” Caroline clapped her hands, smiling brightly. “It will be absolutely fabulous!”

Looking over at Caroline chattering happily with his sister and Katherine, Klaus fell in love with her all over again—for that is what he was sure he felt for her. Love, however dangerous it was, was something he had thought that he would never experience again. Caroline was a miracle worker. She had managed to make his sister truly happy again; Bekah had not seemed this girlish in almost a thousand years. And of course there was Elijah, sneaking glances at Katerina when he thought no one was looking. Six months ago, those few glances would have been enough to send him into a tirade. But now… Klaus could feel light seeping into his soul. And it rocked him to his very core.

-0-0-0-0-0-

It hadn’t been long after that the ladies residing in the Mikaelson home took off to the high fashion hub of New Orleans: Canal Place. It was _the_ place to shop for the upcoming party. Anything they needed could be found there.

On the way there, Rebekah dragged Katherine and Caroline to a place where she knew they could find the perfect gowns.

“If we had the time, I would have insisted upon flying to Paris to talk with my personal dressmaker for a custom gown. Maybe for my birthday.” Rebekah shrugged. “Anyways, the last time Marcel threw a soiree like this, I went into a tirade because I didn’t have a gown. Thankfully I discovered _Fleur de Paris_ at the last minute, or it simply would have been a disaster.”

Caroline tried not to be intimidated by the casual demeanors of Katherine and Rebekah, but it was hard. While her wardrobe had always been nice enough, the concept of personal dressmakers and shopping in Milan and Paris was mind-boggling. Hell, even being in this store with its crazy-expensive gowns was freaking her out enough. She couldn’t help but feel how young she actually was, in that moment. “How old will you be, anyways?” She asked, genuinely curious.

“One thousand and forty is my closest estimate.” The older blonde threw out nonchalantly, browsing. “I was born in what I believe to be the year 972, right as winter was setting in. I celebrate my birthday on January the 4th.”

“And your brothers?” Caroline may or may not have been fishing for information one certain Original brother’s birthday, but it would have been strange to specify just him, of course.

“Well I can tell you Klaus’s because I went to his party in 1492.” Katherine held up a gown, but put it back on the rack. “It’s March the 17th. I was at his…five hundred and twenty-fifth birthday party.” She quickly computed.

“Klaus was born on St. Patrick’s Day?” Caroline asked, finding this extremely amusing.

“Well it wasn’t exactly called St. Patrick’s day back in the tenth century, now was it?” Rebekah laughed. “But yes, that is our closest guess. And he finds it extremely annoying, so do not mention that fact.” She held up a gown. “What do you two think of this?” At their disgusted faces, she sighed and replaced it. “Anyways… Elijah and Finn are eight and six years older than me, both born around harvest time. Kol and I were the closest in age. About fifteen months separated us. He was born in the late spring, and I in the winter. Henrik was a summer child. He was four years younger than I.” Sadness tinged her voice as she spoke of her dead brothers, both the long-gone and the recently-felled.

 “I cannot imagine growing up in such a large family, but at the same time I imagine that it must have been very nice. It was always very lonely, being an only child. Then again, my parents started having issues when I was very young, so siblings never really happened.” Caroline said, moving along to another rack of dresses.

“It wasn’t too terrible, having a pack of siblings.” Katherine shrugged. “Divorce wasn’t exactly an option back then either, you know. The only feasible way out of marriage was death.”

“My dad was cheating on my mom with another man. I don’t know if a divorce was avoidable.” The sunshine girl pointed out wryly. “And even then… My dad was happier, after he left. I’m glad he got to be happy, even if I did spend the majority of my preteen years pissed at him for it.” She gathered a bundle of dresses in her arms. “Well, I’m going to try on dresses, so you two get over to the dressing rooms and get cozy. I am going to want detailed opinions on each of these.” Caroline flounced off in the direction of said rooms, calling out over her shoulder, “I suggest you guys pick your dresses! Someone’s up after me!”

Two boxes of chocolate covered strawberries and one bottle of champagne later, the ladies had found their dresses. Caroline had gone with a sleeveless black gown. With the exception of a lace bodice and neckline, the rest of the dress was fairly plain, but elegant. The material clung to her body and yet flowed, and there was a bit of a train. It was a dress fit for a queen, as Rebekah said. Speaking of Rebekah, she had chosen a deep blue—almost purple—mermaid gown with a wide black sash and a very deep v-neckline. It was perfect to flaunt her curves and yet still be proper for an evening such as this. Katherine went with a dress that was very…Katherine. In her trademark fashion, she had chosen a black, purple, and white confection that seemed almost see-through—which it practically was. The dress was a one-shoulder gown with a slit up her thigh, and was made out of embroidered flowers set upon sheer fabric. It was undeniably sexy, and exactly what would help her get back to her old level of confidence.

They soon moved on to shoes, where the girls finally got to the famed Canal Place after only three or so hours of shopping. It was tough work, finding the perfect dress. Unfortunately the accessories were proving to be even harder.

“What about these?” Katherine held up her fourth pair of heels.

“No.” Was the twin response from her companions.

“Stay away from the pumps, and try a gladiator heel. It would look nice, and accentuate the slit in the dress.” Rebekah lounged on a very comfortable chair. She was lucky to have her full wardrobe at her disposal, and so already had the perfect pair of shoes at home. Instead she was treated to the entertainment of watching Katherine and Caroline browse through stores and stores full of shoes.

“Fine…” The former stomped away, muttering under her breath about some favorite pair of shoes of hers.

Caroline collapsed beside Rebekah. “I had forgotten how exhausting shopping could be. And we haven’t even gotten to jewelry, yet.”

“Which we could do, if Katherine would just pick a decent pair of shoes.” Rebekah complained as she sent a text to Elijah, telling him to make sure their chef held dinner.

“She’s just trying to look nice. She may not say it, but I’m fairly sure that her confidence has taken a blow with this whole falling-apart thing.” Caroline pointed out.

“She’s a Petrova doppelganger.” Rebekah deadpanned. “She could look fabulous wearing a burlap sack, her hair unwashed, and sans makeup. Besides, she has no one to look nice for!” Caroline gave the former a look, which she unfortunately understood. “No…” She flung her head back against the back of the chair in grief. “No, no, no. How dare she mess with him again? It was my understanding that she was just using him to gain her freedom.”

“That’s what everyone thought, apparently. But I can vouch that she wasn’t.” Caroline was cut off however, by Katherine’s return. And unfortunately she had heard part of their conversation.

“Can vouch that she wasn’t what?” The brunette asked, taking a third chair and trying on a pair of sky-high heels.

“Caroline thinks you still have a thing for Elijah.” One did have to give Rebekah points for being honest, albeit brutally, so.

Katherine sighed. “Did the bleach finally soak into your brain?” She asked. “Of course I am still madly in love with your brother. But due to my current health predicament—and the fact that he ripped my heart to shreds—I won’t be going there anytime soon.” The honesty danced behind her cool expression, and Rebekah believed her, no matter how much her head was screaming that this was going to end up like Tatia all over again.

“I don’t like you very much. You remind me too much of Tatia.” Rebekah stated. “But even you are better than that wolf Hayley. I could not stand to have her around as a partner of my brother’s. But you… I can go an hour in your company without wanting to murder you. So you will do.” Again with the brutal honesty. “At least you don’t dress as if you dug rags out of the bin and threw them together.”

“She truly does, though!” Caroline laughed.

A devious look crossed Katherine’s face. “Though, Rebekah, it isn’t me that you should be worrying about being around often.” She paused dramatically. “It’s Caroline.”

“For the last time, there is nothing going on between me and Klaus!” Caroline shrieked, pouting at the ‘are you kidding me?’ looks that she got in response. “Truly, there isn’t!”

“Methinks the lady doth protest too much.” Katherine winked.

“That’s the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my life.” Rebekah added. “If you and my brother had any more eyesex, you would be fucking each other on every surface in that bloody manor. The tension is so insane, I have been close to locking you two in a room before just to make it go away!”

“I just got out of a long-term relationship… I can’t hop into another one.” Caroline sighed.

“What was the deal between you and Lockwood, anyway?” By now Katherine had _finally_ found a pair of comfortable shoes, and they packed up to move on to jewelry. “I get the werewolf appeal… Mason was a _beast_ in bed,” The blondes gave their other companion a grossed-out look. “But Little Lockwood was too young for me to ever see anything.”

“He did look marvelous shirtless, I will have to give him that.” Rebekah popped in. And, well, said ex of Caroline’s did look very yummy without a shirt on.

Caroline tried to give them dirty looks, but it had been so long since she had actually been able to have a day out like this—a day where she could just giggle and talk about boys and clothes and all the supernatural threats had disappeared—that she couldn’t help but smile. It was moments like these where she actually saw that beyond Katherine’s bitchy façade was just a very lonely person, and that Rebekah really was a very fun person when she let herself act like a normal human being. They were more enjoyable to spend time with than she had guessed.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Her face dropped, going into distant memories. “We bonded over being new to the supernatural world. He triggered his werewolf curse shortly after I transitioned, and we just…bonded. Tyler was there for me in a way that no one else could be. The Salvatores’ were both just too experienced to really get it. Elena, Bonnie, and Matt… While I love all three, they didn’t know what it really _felt_ _like_ to become something entirely new, and to have that identity struggle, and Tyler was just there.” She breathed deeply, distracting herself with the displays all around her. “I didn’t fall in love with him immediately. It took a lot of time. Hell, we started out as friends with benefits, really. But he was the first person that I ever really considered to be my rock, and even then he wasn’t around all that much.” Caroline swallowed. “Does that make me pathetic?”

Rebekah thought long and hard. “I cannot address the feelings of him being the constant factor in your life, because through everything Niklaus was always there for me. Even when I didn’t want him to be.” She studied the young girl. “But it does not make you pathetic or weak, I can say that.”

“Speaking from experience,” Katherine said. “Leaning on a man for support doesn’t like…take away your lady-card. That is something that has taken me too many years to become okay with. You’re allowed to cry one day and then go out and fuck shit up the next. Don’t get caught up in that stereotype of the eternally-badass-and-pulled-together woman. She doesn’t exist.” She advised, in a rare compassionate moment. “You may feel weak and broken now, but you are much stronger than you think, Forbes. It’s just that everyone sees it but you.”

-0-0-0-0-0-

After many, many, hours of shopping, manicures, and champagne—for according to Rebekah, champagne was something that she liked to drink when trying on clothes—Caroline, Rebekah, and Katherine burst into the manor in a hurricane of giggles and bags. Continuing into the parlor, the three ladies came upon the men of the manor.

“So this is what my family does on a Friday evening?” Rebekah turned to her companions. “Vampire book club?” She arched a mocking brow. “God, you two are boring.”

“One clearly cannot say the same for you, Bekah.” Klaus sniped from his book. Looking up, he took in the happy expressions of his sister and Caroline—for he was indifferent to Katherine—and was internally satisfied. “Well, how did it go? From the mountain of bags you have, I must assume that it was successful.”

“Oh, it was a _ton_ of fun!” Caroline exclaimed, maneuvering her pile of purchases to the table where Katherine and Rebekah were depositing theirs, before sinking into the sofa. “I’ve never shopped couture before, and the clothes were all so beautiful, and really I just had a marvelous time. Not to mention that I had fantastic shopping partners.”

“I certainly liked my shopping partners better this time around.” Rebekah remarked slyly. At the confused looks she received, she laughed. “The last time I went on a shopping spree like this, I was with Stefan and Niklaus. Needless to say, they whined the entire time about how long it was taking me.”

Klaus made a face, as if remembering that time. “The only thing I enjoyed that day, sister dear, was when we finally left.”

The five supernaturals continued with their activities, idly chatting about the stores they went to and the hideous pictures they took. Overall, it was a very light-hearted moment. The happy dynamic in the room did not last for long, however, as a certain werewolf came slouching into the room.

“See… I told you she dresses as if out of the bin.” Rebekah muttered under her breath to Katherine, though all the vampires in the room could hear her comment. Caroline had to hide her giggle behind her hand, and Katherine almost snorted, she was so amused. Key word being ‘almost’. Katherine Pierce does not snort.

Hayley took a look at the mountain of bags, and she actually did snort. “Please tell me you three did not do the stereotypical thing and shop all day. Shallow, much?”

“Please tell me you didn’t pull this ridiculous weak act all day and pretend like you can’t move. Attention-whore, much?” Caroline sneered, crossing one heeled leg over the other. “I am glad that you think shopping is cliché and superficial. It means that I don’t have to worry about inviting you next time.”

“As long as she doesn’t come to our afterparty tomorrow, I could care less about what she does all day. I’m not having my first ever girl’s night spoiled by her presence.” Rebekah muttered, but to either Katherine or Caroline, no one was sure.

“What are you going to do at this afterparty, love?” Klaus set his book on the side table. “Knowing your gift for planning, I can see this thing becoming huge.”

The younger vampire rolled her eyes. “By afterparty, I mean the three of us are going to dress up in slutty pajamas, get fabulously smashed, and dance around to a bunch of music that we’ll hate in the morning. Oh, and I’ve got _How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days_ lined up to watch. It’s like…a girl’s night staple.” She especially enjoyed the way Klaus’s eyes darkened at the mention of slutty pajamas; not that she would ever tell him that. “I would have them with Bonnie and Elena after like every Founder’s party back home, and that was probably once a month.” Caroline paused for a moment to breathe. “Anyways, I figured that we had to do one because these two,” She gestured at her lovely shopping companions “have been deprived from ever experiencing the awesome thing called a girl’s night. I’ve taken it upon myself to educate them.”

“Wait, what?” Hayley asked in the background, but everyone ignored her.

“And it will be _such_ a sacrifice, I am sure.” Katherine sniped. “The only reason I’m agreeing to this ridiculous concept in the first place is—”

“Is because you’ve been starved of female companionship for hundreds of years?” Rebekah hopped in this debate. “I’m surprised, Katherine. With your _charming_ personality, I would have expected you to have all of the girls simply lining up to be your new best friend.”

“It’s not like you had everyone queuing up to befriend you, now is it? No wonder you were so eager to fit in at that pathetic little high school.” Katherine tsked.

“Wait a second!” Everyone’s least favorite wolf shouted. When everyone turned to her, she rolled her eyes. “If you’re having an afterparty, then that means that there must be a party that you’re going to before, right?”

“A round of applause for the village idiot.” Katherine intoned under her breath, before raising her voice. “Yes, wolfie, we’re going to a formal event tomorrow evening. Which is why we spent all day shopping.” She fixed the other brunette with a look. “Any other obvious questions you would like to ask?”

“Why wasn’t I invited?” Hayley pouted, making eyes at Elijah.

Klaus scoffed and stood up. “The moment the whining in this house ceases, I will make an appearance. In the meantime, I will be somewhere quiet and away from…that.” He waved his hand at Hayley as he walked out of the room, his footsteps receding up the stairs.

“I want to go to the party Elijah.” The werewolf bit her lip. If looks could kill, Hayley would have been dead seven times over from Katherine’s glare.

“Sorry honey, but you wouldn’t enjoy it.” Rebekah’s face was like stone. “After all, we aren’t going to a strip club.” With that, Caroline and Katherine could not hold in their amusement anymore, and burst into a pile of laughter. Even Elijah, with his ever-stoic expression, cracked a smile at his sister’s wit. Unfortunately the wolf did not notice his expression, and went back to her simpering.

“Elijahhh… Make her stop...” Hayley reached over and touched his arm, which was the last straw for a certain brunette.

Katherine knew that she was being painfully obvious, but she didn’t have to watch this bullshit. She stood and swept out of the room, not even bothering to acknowledge anyone. As she quickly headed up to her room, Katherine could feel herself cracking. Just the other night she had told him how she felt, damn it. And now he just sat there and let the werewolf rub all over him. Elijah Mikaelson was hers and hers alone, but yet he was not. Being reminded of that fact at every turn was almost too painful for her dying heart to bear.

“What’s her problem? Too much teen drama?” The offender asked.

Caroline just rolled her eyes and stood, gathering both her and Katherine’s pile of bags in her arms. She walked past Elijah’s chair and to the door, before sighing and turning back to stand in front of him. Fixing the ancient man with a cold look, she started to speak. “Look. Normally this wouldn’t be any of my business but Katherine has grown to become a good friend of mine, and if there is one thing that I won’t tolerate, it’s when people mess with my friends.” She shifted the bags around a bit in her arms. “And frankly, you’re kind of scary at times, but right now I can’t even bring myself to care about that because you’re hurting her, okay?” Caroline’s expression hardened even more, and she subconsciously took on a regal tone. “You’re supposed to be this great and moral guy who never breaks his word, right? Well right now, I’m not sure if that’s some big façade that you project or what, because you don’t seem like the man that Katherine told me about. The guy that held her heart for five hundred years wouldn’t have let _that_ ,” She tilted her head at Hayley, distaste obvious in her voice “Rub up against him like a cat in heat, I can be sure of that.” She sighed once more, taking a couple steps away, saying, “Goodnight, everyone” before leaving the room.

Hayley followed shortly after, muttering about needing food or something, leaving the two siblings alone.

“You clearly have something to say to me, Rebekah. Please just let it out.” Elijah said, lying in wait for his sister to lecture him. Her answer turned out to be most surprising.

 “I don’t like Katherine.” She started out. When Elijah opened his mouth to speak, she cut him off. “I wasn’t finished, so don’t even think about talking until I’m done.” She smiled sarcastically at the peeved expression on her older brother’s face. “I don’t like Katherine Pierce, that is very true. At least, not all that much, even if she does have impeccable taste in clothing.” Rebekah arched a perfect eyebrow. “ _But_ , I like her a hell of a lot more than I like the werewolf.” The female Original sighed. “And more than I liking her—or even Niklaus not wanting to kill her for once—is the fact that you are completely and hopelessly in love with the woman.” Elijah started to object, but his sister cut him off with a look. “Don’t even attempt to protest, brother. After a thousand years, I can read you like a book. You’re in love with a woman that you let slip through your fingers five hundred years ago, and you haven’t been able to shake her since. And right now you’re putting her through emotional hell by not pushing away Hayley.”

“She won’t have anything to do with me anyways, sister.” Elijah said, his expression softening as he ran a hand through his hair. “Not right now.”

“Then I suggest you find some way to heal her before she’s gone for good, and your chance for happiness with her.” Rebekah stood, grabbing her things. “You can work on fixing your issues once she does not have an expiration date.”

Before she walked out the door, her brother’s voice stopped her. “How did you become so versed in the matters of the heart, Rebekah?”

She gave her brother a soft smile. “I simply fell in love many times over the past millennia, and had my heart broken almost as equally. One learns.” He gave her a curt nod, and Rebekah exited, leaving her brother to his many thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, if you can't tell, this was probably one of my favorite chapters to write! Sorry for the length--or you're welcome, for those of you who like long chapters--and I hope you all enjoyed it! The dynamic between Katherine, Rebekah, and Caroline is a goldmine that I think seriously should have been explored on the show (or on what we were told was going to be a fantastic spinoff, and just ended up being a hot mess). Anyways, I also really, really, don't like Hayley, but I ended up looking up some of her old scenes in S4 to get some inspiration for how to write her, and well, you see it above. She's not going to be a sympathetic character in this story, now or ever.
> 
> Next chapter a MF character makes an appearance (it's pretty obvious who, but some of you may still be surprised), and I just really love the next chapter! Thank you all so much for reading and kudoing!
> 
> -Abi


	11. Part One: Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: “I simply fell in love many times over the past millennia, and had my heart broken almost as equally. One learns.”

“What time are we leaving again?” Katherine asked, eyes closed as Rebekah’s stylist applied her makeup. The three ladies were getting ready for Marcel’s party in Rebekah’s personal sitting room, makeup and hair products covering almost every surface in the room.

Caroline looked down at her phone, getting the final touches done on her hair. It was swept up in a mass of curls upon her head, a pair of black combs holding it all together. “We have… Shit! We only have thirty minutes before we need to leave, and Rebekah’s hair isn’t even started!” She hopped up out of the chair once the stylist gave her leave a few seconds later.

“Makeup is already on though, and my hair is the last of the prep work to be done. We’ll have just enough time to get out of here.” Rebekah took the seat that the other blonde had vacated, and started giving directions on how she wanted her hair done.

“Forbes! Stop pacing before you make my eye twitch!” Katherine admired herself in the hand mirror.

Caroline took a deep breath. “Right. Okay. I’m going to pull out our dresses and shoes and lay them all out. Oh, and maybe the jewelry too…” She chattered mindlessly to herself as she went to the closet.

“There’s nothing to be nervous about, you know!” Rebekah shouted after her. Thankfully the stylists had all been compelled to forget anything they heard or saw whilst at the Mikaelson manor, so the ladies did not need to worry about keeping secrets.

“Sure.” One could almost feel Caroline’s indignant glare even when she was in the closet. “Because, you know, I’m only going to my first major event in the vampire world, and the host is only Klaus’s enemy, and with all my luck _Tyler_ will probably be there, and I’ll be arriving with your family, and just there are going to be a lot of old vampires at the party tonight, and I’m a bit nervous, okay? Give me a break.”

Katherine and Rebekah exchanged a look. “You’ll be fine, Caroline.” Katherine rolled her eyes. “You’re showing up to a party hosted by a vampire that’s less than a third my age with the most powerful family on the planet. You’ve got about as much social grace as one can acquire in your shoebox of a hometown—”

Rebekah jumped in as the young woman left the closet holding everyone’s shoes and dresses before laying them out on the couch. “And concerning your ex… Well, he wouldn’t dare cause a scene at one of Marcel’s parties. Besides, you’re Caroline Forbes, and you’re too good for him. Who gives a damn what he thinks?”

“I know. That all makes sense. But still… Normally I’m the one in charge of these things. And right now, I’m going in uncharted territory, and I guess I feel a bit…young, you know? I’m a baby compared to everyone there. Naïve. Childish. I don’t want to embarrass myself, and I don’t want to embarrass your family.” She shrugged, going a bit red. “So…yeah.”

Katherine stood up from her chair, walked over, and grabbed Caroline’s dress off of the couch. “Caroline.” She grabbed the girl’s chin and forced her to take her eyes off of the floor. “Put your damn dress on before you talk yourself into a nervous wreck. If you appear to have it all together, then they will believe it. You can fall apart inside all you want, but like you said yesterday at breakfast, this is a political game that we’re currently playing. You cannot afford to show that group of pretentious vampires who bow down to one who is no more than a child that you are scared.” Katherine handed Caroline the elegant dress. “Suck it up, and go show them that a baby vampire like you can take on the world.” Caroline nodded and laid the dress back down before taking off her clothes. Katherine started on the undressing process as well, but she wasn’t as far along as Caroline was when a knock sounded at the door. The latter shrieked in surprise.

“Bekah, how much longer will it be?” Of course it was Klaus at the door. “It’s been four hours and Elijah and I have begun to wonder whether or not you three have strangled each other to death yet.”

“Klaus, if you so much as turn that doorknob, I will never speak to you again!” Caroline’s voice rose in pitch as she scrambled into her dress.

“It seems that she doesn’t want you to see her half naked, Nik! Is that black lace, Caroline?” Rebekah teased, her brother’s indignant growl from beyond the door simply fueling her amusement. Katherine sat down and maneuvered her way into the complicated pair of gladiator heels she had chosen, with the fancy laces.

“Just shut your mouth and help me do up these damn buttons, Rebekah!” Unbeknownst to the man on the other side of the door, Caroline was reaching behind her back, failing to fasten the row of tiny buttons up the back of her dress.

“I chose a zipper for a reason.” Katherine lounged upon a chair, perfectly ready to go. To the door she shouted, “Give us ten minutes, and we’ll be down!”

“That’s all I wanted to know!” Klaus’s muffled voice said back, and Rebekah and Caroline could hear the Hybrid leaving his sister’s wing of the manor.

The latter turned to the former. “You suck.” The ancient woman just winked before shedding her clothes and putting on her own dress.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Exactly nine minutes later, Klaus and Elijah were waiting in the foyer for the women to appear. Klaus was clad in all black, while Elijah wore the normal black and white tuxedo. Both dressed to the nines, the younger brother slightly adjusted his tie in the mirror while the elder stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

Soon the trademark sound of high heels appeared above them, through the halls, and on the stairs. The women appeared on the landing all at once, a swirl of fabric and perfume. Rebekah descended first, her lovely hair swept to the side in an intricate braid.

“Well, brothers, how do I look?” She twirled for them, smiling brightly.

“Beautiful as always, Rebekah.” Elijah said.

“You clean up decently, Bekah.” Klaus tossed a wink at his favorite sibling.

“Well I think she looks absolutely fabulous.” Caroline smiled, coming down the stairs, her slight train grasped in one hand, and Katherine right behind.

It was not audible, but Caroline certainly took Klaus’s breath away. To the man, she was a living contradiction. She was a woman of light; a lady that exuded sunshine. When she smiled, he could feel his cold, dead heart melt. But yet, in that dark dress, Niklaus saw this amazing girl as something more than just a figure of the light. She was of the dark as well. She embodied the night, and all that came with it. It was as if his eyes had been opened.

Klaus had always known that Caroline Forbes was meant to be more than what everyone seemed to plan for her. She was more than her tiny hometown; that he had known since the first time he had saved her life. She now appeared to him as a deadly woman. A smile was worn on that gorgeous face of hers, but the way she carried herself, the way she walked: she epitomized regality. He had been worried about her—though Klaus would never admit it—and the way that she would accept the blackness that teemed in New Orleans. He had feared that her visit here would cause him to lose her forever. But now, Klaus knew that the elegant and graceful Caroline Forbes could take care of herself. And when he took this city as his own, it was his fondest wish that she would stand beside him as Queen, for that was the place that he knew in his heart that she was born for.

“As do you, sweetheart.” He couldn’t resist laying on the charm.

“Mmm, maybe so.” She rebuffed, a challenging look upon her face.

“I do not lie. I can assure you of that.” Klaus arched an eyebrow, a smile upon his lips as he offered his arm to both Caroline and his sister.

“Good.” Was all she said as they started towards the door.

As the other three headed towards the door, Elijah offered his arm to a strangely-silent Katherine. The brunette was cold and rigid, her hair swept into a french twist, showing off her daring dress.

“Katerina,” He said as she took his arm “you are beautiful.”

“Thank you, Elijah.” Katherine had not thought this would be painful, but as she had descended the staircase, the man she loved waiting at the bottom, she could not help but hurt. It was the first time they had spoken since the previous evening when she left in a fit of anger, and things were tense. Of course, it did not help that she had always had a weakness for Elijah in formal wear, and she just wanted to jump him. This was setting up to be an uncomfortable evening.

-0-0-0-0-0-

They had only been at the party for forty-five minutes, and Caroline was near overwhelmed. She definitely wasn’t in Mystic Falls anymore. This was not a family ball, like the Mikaelsons had held. No, this was a grand event that screamed taste and culture. It was enough to scare anyone.

The party-goers had arrived fashionably late, and as the soiree was being held in the main courtyard, Klaus had specifically steered the group towards the front door, “so as to make a grand entrance, of course”. Caroline simply retorted with a snide remark on his ego, which was rewarded with a snicker from Rebekah.

They did make the required grand entrance, appearing at the top of the staircase down into the courtyard, garnering attention from all. A handsome dark-skinned man that Caroline found to be Marcel had noticed them, and he strode over as Rebekah led the rest of the group down the stairs; Klaus and Caroline taking the rear, a vision in their inky attire. The latter was thankful that she did not spot Tyler in the crowd, for that would have not been a pleasant start to the evening. Introductions had been made, the story that Caroline was simply a friend of Rebekah’s had been fed, and as Katherine had apparently met this false king before, no further conversation was needed.

The Mikaelson party soon split up, Rebekah and Caroline going off in one direction while Katherine, Klaus, and Elijah had left in another. Rounds amongst the attendees of the party had to be made, and Caroline found it to be…informative. She quickly became a scholar of body language, which was necessary to discern whether or not an acquaintance should be continued or not. Some of the vampires the young lady had met were very friendly, and could be useful contacts to have. Others just gave her the creeps, and those were the ones that she quickly left behind.

She was soon dumped at the bar however, as Rebekah’s eye had lingered on a hot guy, and the other blonde had been whisked out onto the dance floor. Currently she seemed to be spreading her affections among three or four highly attractive men, and appeared to be having the time of her life. Caroline had shrugged off being ditched, and took the time alone to take a breather. Klaus had joined her a few minutes later, taking a seat.

“Enjoying yourself, sweetheart?” He poised casually.

“I am.” She paused for a second, deciding upon her answer. “It’s been an experience, but I’ve had fun so far!” The pair chatted for a bit making small talk and bantering, but when the band struck up a slow song Klaus stood and offered his hand to the lovely lady.

“Care for a dance, Caroline?” Klaus raised an eyebrow. “After all, it is becoming our thing.”

She took his hand as she swept her dress to the side. “I thought champagne was our thing.” Caroline slid off the stool before letting her dress drape normally. “Though, I suppose we could have more than one.” The look of sheer delight that came over the man’s face almost melted Caroline’s heart, but she managed to contain herself as the Original Hybrid led her out onto the dance floor.

She had only danced with him twice before: once at his family’s ball, and again at the decade dance. He was a beautiful dancer, that much was true, and it was always enjoyable dancing with Klaus. But for some reason, the motivation behind Caroline’s acceptance of dances from this man was much more than his prowess on the floor. No, it was because she felt utterly and completely _safe_ when entwined in his arms. It did not make sense to her young brain. Klaus did bad things. That should make him a terrible person, right? But yet, she had never once been truly terrified around him. There was something about his eyes, or his voice, or maybe his body language that simply called out to her. Caroline was aware that he had feelings for her. He had not exactly tried to be subtle about that fact, what with the drawings, jewelry, and pretty dresses. But even more than his _amazing_ taste in gifts were the slivers of his humanity that shined through. It was a beautiful humanity. Klaus was supposed to be this heartless, cruel, evil man. And he was. He was sadistic and practically sociopathic, yes. But at the same time, Caroline knew that he was someone who felt things deeply, no matter how much of a front he put up. He had a heart, and while not many appeared to make the list of those whom he cared about, Klaus protected those that he loved with all that he had. He may be a dark soul, but he also had a heart of gold, and it was enough to make her feel safe around him. Now if she could only publically come to terms with that.

“Oh, look who’s here.” Klaus muttered, focused behind Caroline.

“What? Who’s here?” She asked, spinning around. When she saw her disapproving ex-boyfriend standing about fifteen feet away, Caroline blanched. “Shit.” She turned back around, sweating under her breath. Klaus had stepped slightly away, and appeared as if he was about to exit the floor. “What are you doing? We’re going to be on this dance floor for quite a bit more time now because I do _not_ want to have the awkward post-breakup talk here!” Her tone rose about three octaves as she scrambled for his hands to resume their previous position, stepping closer to him than she previously had been.

“So you’re keeping me captive? Miss Forbes, you are daring.” Klaus laughed, very satisfied at the indignant noises the Lockwood boy was making.

Caroline shot him a glare, huffing. “You are insufferable.”

Across the dance floor, Elijah and Katherine had taken to the floor in a tango. It was an intimate dance, and one that the couple had partnered together for before. Both halves dearly loved to dance, after all, and were quite skilled on the floor; they had whiled away many hours together, trying different steps. It seemed as if everything they did reminded both of happier days. Then again, all of their memories as a couple _were_ from a better time.

“What are you thinking of?” Elijah asked, for clearly Katherine’s thoughts had seeped into her expressions.

 “Merely a time that I was happy.” By the look on his face, it was clear that he had received her meaning.

“I was thinking of a time like that, as well.” He nodded slightly. She recognized that glint in his dark eyes. Oh, this was to be fun. She missed their games.

“Really? And what time was that?” A coy look settled on Katherine face, and she smirked, hoping he was thinking of the memories that she was.

Elijah licked his lower lip, causing a shiver to run down her spine. “There was a salsa club involved…”

Katherine took a step closer, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “Was it the club itself, or more so the alley behind?”

He countered by pulling away a bit, a vicious grin present. “Most certainly the club.”

She fell into a pout, shoulders sagging at his teasing. “You ruin all my fun.” At his laugh, she rolled her eyes. “No, you do. All of it.”

Elijah spun her out and then back again, ending with her back to his chest. “Is that so?” He whispered gruffly in her ear. “Because I seem to remember us having a lot of _fun_ , Katerina.” They continued to sway. “On the couch. My desk. The bed, of course. The floor. And that little alley you seemed to like so much.” He continued on, tattooing sweet nothings across her mind in her childhood dialect.

Katherine felt as if fire was running through her veins, and her breath caught in her throat. He was playing dirty, damn it. He knew how she melted when he spoke her language. “Your words are inappropriate, Mr. Mikaelson.” She gasped, in the best authoritative tone she could muster. “This is a formal dance, after all.”

“You will find that I am nothing but appropriate, Miss Petrova.” He twisted her yet again, and this time Katherine was trapped against Elijah’s chest, their hands between them, faces mere inches from each other. “And when have you ever been one to follow the rules?”

“Ah, but I seem to recall you as positively _insatiable_. Ergo, not appropriate. Am I correct?” She lowered her lids slowly, and reopened them, taking in the beauty of the man before her. “You should know by now that I follow the rules when it suits me. Quite unlike you, with your strict morality.”

Elijah smirked, swaying them gently on the floor. “If I was insatiable, you matched me every time, dear Katerina.” He twirled a lock of hair that had been left out of her tight twist around his finger. “Maybe I have come to realize that living with such dedication to what I believe is right has caused me to lose what I hold most dear.”

Katherine felt a light blush come over her, but she quickly shoved the feeling down. An overt reaction to his words would simply make it hurt all the more in the end. “Whatever you do, don’t lose the suits. I like them.” She winked, half-teasing.

“I know.” He simply replied. After that, both could feel that the moment for talking had ceased. Katherine stepped closer and rested her head on his shoulder as they danced, and a comfortable silence fell over the once-lovers.

-0-0-0-0-0-

It was sometime later, and the night was growing old. The little party had all switched around on the dance floor throughout the evening; Caroline had even had a dance with the infamous Marcel, and she had been _ever_ so delighted to meet his date, Cami. Yes, the very same Cami. She had shown up in some ghastly, purple, sparkle-covered confection that made Caroline’s eyes burn, though naturally the latter had simply commented on the unique style, gave a smile, and moved along. Galas were not for making enemies, after all.

Caroline and Katherine had also swapped dance partners for a bit, and both had what appeared to be a nice time.

Well, the blonde had a nice time, at least. She had attempted to apologize to Elijah for her harsh words the previous evening, but he had simply brushed it away, stating that she had been right in her statement. After that the pair had moved on to other topics, such as Klaus and Rebekah. The latter had been flitting around the dance floor with a various number of partners all evening, flirting up a storm. At first Caroline had assumed that Rebekah was trying to rebound from someone, but when she asked the girl’s brother, he had no idea of who it might be. They then had briefly touched upon Klaus, for Elijah wanted to know of the status of the relationship between his brother and his current dance partner, but Caroline had refused to give any comment other than “We’re friends”. Needless to say, they did not speak any further on that topic.

Katherine, on the other hand, was stuck dancing with Klaus. Although the Hybrid may not be out for her head anymore, it was hard to avoid their past when in conversation. They were both snide people by nature, and the biting remarks surfaced no more than two minutes into their dance. After a few idle threats and more than a few mental daggers thrown, Katherine and Klaus agreed to ignore their past for the sake of harmony. Two certain names did not need to be dropped, as both knew the real reasons they were calling a ceasefire.

Eventually Rebekah came over and snatched Klaus up for a dance or three, and Elijah moved in to take Katherine around to meet a few associates of his. This left Caroline alone. She wandered around the courtyard for a bit—she even had been asked to dance by a few vampires that she had met earlier—but ultimately she was avoiding one certain person. Not that that would last long.

The game ended when Caroline stepped out for a bit of air, and a certain hybrid found her there.

“Tyler.” The lady said, her back to him, arms crossed. His step was heavy and known to her ears; she had been aware he was coming her way. “I would say that I didn’t know you would be here, but that would be a lie.”

“Care.” She turned around at his voice, taking in his appearance. He was as handsome as ever, even if he did not wear the suit as well as another hybrid. “You were the _last_ person I was expecting to see here. I thought you were at Whitmore.”

“Clearly I’m not.” She shrugged, wrapping her arms around her body. “I’ve been in the city for a few days.”

“With Klaus.” Tyler cocked his head to the side. The judgment was practically rolling off of him in waves.

“Yes… I mean no… Oh, it’s complicated.” Caroline looked down, twisting her fingers.

“It can’t be that complicated, Caroline. You’re either here with Klaus or you’re not!” Tyler’s voice rose slightly.

“I’m here with Katherine, alright! Yes, we’re staying with the Mikaelsons, but I’m not here to be with Klaus.” Her hands flew up as she spoke, gesturing angrily. “Besides, you don’t have any right to care about whether or not I’m here with Klaus!”

“We’re still friends, Care! And, I’m still in love with you…” He trailed off.

“No.” She shook her head. “No. We are not going there. You lost _any_ chance between us when you left me. It was _your_ choice, not mine.” Caroline was firm, attempting to keep her voice level.

Tyler rolled his eyes. “I shouldn’t have had to make a choice!” His voice rose. “You should have just waited until I finished this mess with Klaus, and then we could have been happy!”

“Seriously?” Caroline gave up on keeping calm. “I shouldn’t have had to _wait_ for you any longer! I waited, and waited, and waited Tyler! I put up with _everything_. It wasn’t even just this summer!” She started pacing. “Tyler, I just… I deserve better than waiting eternally for someone.”

“Yeah, and by better you mean Klaus?” He gave a bitter laugh. “I really thought you were better than that. But nope! You just ran straight to him, didn’t you?” Tyler took a step closer to Caroline. “Bet he was all eager to take you to bed for some rebound sex. Hell, you were probably fucking him back home, too.”

In a blink, Caroline’s hand was up and flying across his cheek. “I _always_ remained faithful to you, no matter what. I may be many things, but I don’t cheat.” She stood her ground, glaring into his eyes. “We can’t say the same about you, though, now can we?” Tyler started, eyes wide. “Yeah, your ‘just a friend’ Hayley _graciously_ announced to the entire world that you two actually did hook up in the Appalachians, so don’t even try denying it.” Silence was rampant after that statement.

“He killed my mom, Care. He killed my _pack_. Not to mention Elena, or Jules, or Jenna, or even the thousands of other people he’s killed! He’s a monster, and you’re here shacking up with him!” Tyler said.

Caroline put her fingers to her temples, as if to concentrate. “Why, Tyler? Why does it always come back to Klaus?” She looked up. “Why is it so wrong to be friends with him? I mean, we’re all monsters. We’ve all killed.”

“He ruined my life.” Tyler growled. “That’s why it’s wrong. Because he’s a psychopath, and you’re wrong for even socializing with him.”

She wrapped her arms around herself and turned away, face turned towards the faint moonlight. “Klaus isn’t as monstrous as everyone makes him out to be, you know.”

“I can’t believe this.” Her ex-boyfriend scoffed.

“He’s not!” Caroline whirled back around, eyes on fire.

“He kills people for fun, Caroline. He’s insane.”

“No, he paints for fun!” She blurted out. Both were unaware that the current conversation topic was making his way to where they were, blending into the shadows. “And he’s a damn good artist, too. The best I’ve ever seen.” Caroline sighed. “I mean, sure, he’s entirely paranoid and has control and anger management issues that you only read about, and sure, that stupid smirk of his that he does when he’s trying to piss me off makes me want to smack him, but he’s not a psychotic monster.”

“I think you’re going crazy. Being around that family has messed with your head.” Tyler rubbed the back of his neck.

Now it was Caroline’s turn to scoff. “Please. I’m perfectly sane.”

“So you’re just a traitor then? Because that’s so much better.”

“Tyler. I’m not betraying anyone!”

“It sure seems like it from here! You’re siding with the enemy!” He rolled his eyes. “How can you even stand to be around him?”

All the reasons for being around Klaus flew through her head. Because he defends those he loves. Because he makes me feel like I’m home. Because he’s deathly loyal. Because I watched him cry over his brother, even when he didn’t appear to like Kol very much. Because no matter how annoyed by her he is, he listens when his sister talks. Because he’s got Katherine living in his house. Because he actually cares for this kid of his. Because his stupid accent and his stupid dimples do things to me. Because he’s the first man who ever put _me_ first. Because he’s got a humanity underneath that layer of sociopathic creature. Because I really like him, and I have for a very long time but was too afraid to say it. Because I still am.

“Because he’s who he is, and I’m who I am. And we’re friends.” was Caroline’s answer.

“That’s a shitty answer, Care.”

“On the contrary, I think it is quite the accurate one.” Klaus finally emerged from he had been standing. Both of the young supernaturals had remained unaware of him, thankfully; between the noises from the quickly escalating party and their own raised voices, he had been inaudible.

Caroline didn’t even need to turn around to identify the voice. “Klaus.” She smiled softly for a moment before whisking around to face the intruder.

“You went missing from the party, love. I thought we had all agreed to stay within eyesight of each other.” Klaus said.

She rolled her eyes. “No, Elijah _suggested_ we do that. I never actually agreed to the terms and conditions. Maybe next time you should make me sign an agreement.” Caroline smiled cheekily.

“Don’t test me.” Klaus warned. “You might actually find a contract waiting for you at the breakfast table one morning.”

“And they call me neurotic.” She cocked her head to the side as if remembering fond memories. Ignoring Tyler—who was gazing at the pair with disgust—Caroline walked over to Klaus. “Well, are we going to get back inside?”

“Lead the way, sweetheart.” Klaus gestured. As they walked back towards the party, he couldn’t help one question. “So, you say I’m the best artist you’ve ever seen?” He laughed at her subsequent embarrassment.

“You were eavesdropping?” Caroline shrieked indignantly. She smacked his arm lightly. “Ass!”

“Always have been, love.”

Tyler looked on, jealousy flooding his very being. Walking away from the party, he headed to the nearest club, where he proceeded to spend the rest of the evening binging on booze and tourists. In the morning he would head to Marcel, and a devious plan would be hatched.

-0-0-0-0-0-

It had been many hours of drinking, dancing, and alliance-forming. When the five supernatural beings stumbled back into the manor, it was very late, and the ladies were ready to continue the party on even longer. Truth be told, the men of the party weren’t tired either—being a thousand-year old creature means that you have _fantastic_ stamina—but they were excluded from the after-party. Caroline had almost been drawn to the dark side when Klaus flashed a perfectly dimpled smile at her, but Rebekah had staunchly defended her girl’s night (“And by that I mean: any boys we don’t pay for are not allowed!” She had said, causing Caroline to blush and Katherine to laugh), and that was the end of that.

After changing into the prettiest nightdresses they owned and grabbing the copious amounts of chocolate stored in Caroline’s room, they all made their way to the lounge. Apparently it boasted the comfiest couches, which is why the room was picked. Rebekah had preselected the evening’s collection of booze, and the array was laid out on a side table. Above the fireplace a television was centered, and Caroline’s phone was already synced to the stereo. The kitchen was merely next door if anymore goodies were needed, and all-in-all, it was the perfect setup for a girl’s night.

The ladies had started off the evening fairly tame. They popped in _How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days_ , and basically spent the first couple of hours laughing and indulging. After that, Caroline had taken it upon herself to educate Rebekah on the music icons she had missed, and they basically danced their way through ninety years’ worth of music. All three were blissfully drunk—for it seemed that a few dozen cocktails consisting of a hell of a lot of alcohol could get even the oldest vampire smashed—and enjoying themselves. It was, however, when Katherine passed out that the blondes’ real fun began.

“I… _hate_ Katerinnna.” Rebekah smiled, plopping down on the floor.

“Nah.” Caroline joined her. “I think you _secretly_ ,” and it seemed to be very secret, for she whispered the word “Like her. As a person.”

“But I cannnnn’t.” The former whined. “She’s a Petrovaaa.”

Caroline laid her head on Rebekah’s shoulder. “Ya know what I think we should do?” She slurred.

“I dunno. What should we do? Because Kathherine is sleepy and boring.” Rebekah huffed. “And I still don’t like her.”

“I think.” The younger blonde paused for a very long moment as she took a drink before passing the bottle to her companion. “That we should get Petrova and your brrrother together. They would be a _pretty_ couple.”

Rebekah took a moment to think, her mind hazy with liquor. “Maybe… ‘Lijah would get the stick out of his ass if they got back together.”

Caroline sat up and clapped her hands, swaying. “Yay!!” She giggled. “We’re Team… Kalijah!”

“What the hell is Kalijah?” Rebekah arched an eyebrow, her haze starting to fade away.

“Couple names!” Caroline squealed. “It’s a thing you missed. Katherine and Elijah are Kalijah!” She stood up suddenly, almost falling back down. “Where’s a paper and pen? We should plot ways to get them together!”

Rebekah just gave her a look. “Give me the damn bottle.” She made a reach for the object, needing to grasp a few times before actually managing to grab it. “I need to be drunker if we’re going to do this.”

-0-0-0-0-0-

The next morning, Caroline awoke on the floor of the lounge. Rebekah’s head was resting on her stomach, the other girl nestled up against her like a teddy bear. She shoved her off as she sat up, causing the latter to wake and shriek. Katherine—who Caroline noticed was on one of the couches, head lolling over the side—groaned as she woke to Rebekah’s screech. Ignoring her grumpy friends, Caroline looked around the room and surveyed the damage. Other than a couple out-of-place cushions and pillows, multiple empty boxes of chocolate, and more than a few empty bottles of varying types of alcohol, it actually was fairly clean. Not bad at all.  

“Is it even possible for me to have a hangover?” Rebekah whined, brushing her short nightdress down from where it had bunched up around her upper thighs. Not that it was that much longer afterwards.

“I don’t know about you, but I definitely have one.” Katherine ran a hand through her hair. “I need medicine of some type.” She looked over at the open window and winced, covering her eyes. “Someone make it darker before I die. Faster than I am.”

“I’ll go get blood.” Caroline stood, feeling the pounding behind her temples. Note to self: never just pour some of every type of booze in the house into one glass. Drinking a few dozen of those could apparently give even Rebekah a hangover.

“Blood.” The oldest woman cried. “I really need blood. That will fix this.”

Katherine kept her hand over her eyes as she pouted. “What I wouldn’t give for the ability to cure this headache instantaneously.”

Caroline ignored them yet again and went into the kitchen, running her fingers through her messy curls and straightening her nightgown as she went. It really couldn’t even count as a gown… The dress was really more of a slip with lace and a cute ribbon belt. Not to mention that it was really short. And unfortunately for her, the last person she wanted to see in that moment was in the kitchen. Yes, book in hand and feet propped upon the table, a mug of coffee resting within reach, sat Klaus.

His reaction was really quite funny. The book fell upon his lap, completely forgotten as she walked into the room. Klaus’s eyes grew wide before darkening and taking upon a primal glint. She attempted to brush his gaze off, fighting the blush from overtaking her body. God, it was as if she was stripped bare when he was in the room. The things this man did to her should be illegal.

“You look _ravishing_ , sweetheart.” He commented, his eyes never leaving her as she bustled around the kitchen.

“And your flirting is too obvious.” She sniped. “You should learn some better pick-up lines.”

 “No need if they are all true.” Klaus retorted, making her fight off the growing redness again.

“Sometimes honesty is not always the best policy, you know.”

“I know.”

“Good.” Caroline grabbed the now-warm blood and took a sip out of it, her headache lessening by the second.

“You certainly know how to throw a party.” He commented idly.

“I know.” She threw his words back at him. By now her momentary hangover was gone, and she felt back up to normal speed. “I should get this to your sister before she kills Katherine.” Caroline held up a huge coffee mug full of blood.

“Then by all means, take a seat.” He laughed, gesturing to a chair.

She glared. “Haha. Very funny. And not going to happen.” The blonde turned and walked to the door, only to be stopped by Klaus flashing in the doorway. He was mere inches from her face, and Caroline could feel his breath as they stood together. Vaguely she felt the blood from the mug running through her fingers—most likely having sloshed over when she came to the sudden stop—but she couldn’t even bring herself to care. Klaus was mesmerizing.

“The things you do to me…” He muttered, his thumb tracing along her cheekbone, staring into her eyes. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes upon.” She gasped as his fingers made contact with her collarbone, gliding to the delicate straps of her nightie.

“That is a lie.” Caroline breathed, snapping her gaze from his rosy lips to his eyes.

“On the contrary, mon amour,” Fire fled through her veins as she heard his words “it is one of the few things I have said that will never be a lie.” Giving her one last heated look, Klaus flashed out of the room, leaving Caroline almost panting in his wake.

“Damn him.” She swore, grabbing a napkin to clean up the dripped blood before heading back to the lounge.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Not fifteen minutes later, the three ladies of the house were gathered around the kitchen table. They had clearly visited a mirror at some point, for hair had been tamed and makeup smudges were corrected. Katherine had added a long, silky robe over her borderline-indecent sleepwear, though kept it open. The vampires of the group just stayed in their tiny dresses, not feeling the morning chill. The lone human was still nursing a headache, but had managed to dig up some painkillers to alleviate the tension slightly.

“I feel like my skull has split apart and something died inside.” Katherine whined. She rubbed her temples. “God, I miss being able to get rid of these things.”

“I’m hungry.” Hayley flounced into the kitchen, looking at the three females at the table expectantly. “Someone make me food. I’m eating for two, you know.” Rebekah and Caroline noticed Elijah coming into the room from another direction—the door was hidden by the side of the refrigerator, directly behind Katherine and out of Hayley’s line of vision—but when Caroline went to say something, the other vampire stopped her. She wanted her brother to actually see Hayley when she wasn’t simpering.

Katherine just crossed her arms on the table and laid her head down on them. “Oh my god, just go away. I can’t deal with you right now.”

“You’re just lying there.” The werewolf pointed out. “You can make me breakfast.”

“Do I look like the maid to you?” Katherine sat up and ran a hand through her hair, shoving her messy curls back. “Yes, I’m just laying here. That’s because I have a headache, and the painkillers won’t fucking work. And your voice certainly isn’t helping matters. Maybe you could kindly shut up while you make your _own_ food?” She glared at the other brunette in the room.

“I told you that cocktail was vampire-only. I’m surprised you didn’t pass out from one of those alone.” Caroline commented. “There was like what… Fifty types of liquor in that thing?” She turned to Rebekah.

“Forty.” Rebekah said. “I think. I stopped counting when the labels started blurring.”

“You were the one who suggested we take a drink out of each bottle before mixing them all!” Caroline laughed.

“Touché, Caroline. Touché.”

“I don’t like to be told ‘no’.” Katherine jumped in the diverging conversation, resuming her former position of rubbing her temples. “That’s why I drank the infernal thing. Because you told me not to.” Whatever Hayley had muttered something under her breath that was enough to make the vampires in the room exchange looks, and therefore enough for Katherine to pursue this bunny trail. “What was that?” Her voice was indignant, as this was clearly not good.

Hayley feigned ignorance. “Hmm?” At the ‘you’re not bullshitting me, cupcake’ look the former vampire gave her, she rolled her eyes. “I just said that with that outfit you’re wearing, it’s pretty obvious you don’t like being told ‘no’.”

Caroline coughed at Katherine’s expression, and Rebekah glanced over at her brother, who appeared to be restraining himself from attempting to glance at Katherine’s attire.

“Excuse me? Are you trying to _slut-shame_ me? Seriously?” Katherine stood, her black robe flowing behind. It accented her black and red floral babydoll perfectly, and even as unkempt as she was, she possessed a deadly grace. “I’ll have you know that this is La Perla, and highly tasteful. It’s certainly more expensive than anything you would ever get your hands on.” She sauntered towards the other girl. “It’s not like I get told ‘no’, anyways. Unlike you, I’m classy. That’s an irresistible trait in a woman.”

“You’re practically known around the world as the vampire whore.” Hayley retorted. “And when you die, that will be all that anyone will remember you by.” She placed a hand on her stomach. “Unlike me.” Katherine’s eyes flickered from the baby bump to the werewolf’s face and back again before bursting into laughter, her hand raising up to cover her mouth as her retort flew out of her head. “What is so funny!”

“You think,” She giggled “That just because you had a drunken quickie with the Almighty Klaus, that you’re suddenly important? I hate to break it to you honey, but a lot of other women have been there, done that. Having sex with an Original doesn’t make you… Sprout fairy wings and put a tiara on your over-inflated head.” Katherine laughed.

“You would know, wouldn’t you?” Hayley smirked.

The former made a face. “I’m sorry, but if you’re insinuating that _Klaus_ and I had a thing, then you’re drastically wrong. I wouldn’t touch that man with a ten-foot pole.” Katherine appeared to be going slightly green at the mere thought. Caroline, on the other hand, was growing uncomfortable with the discussion of Klaus’s sexual history while she was in the room. The man’s siblings just sat through it, looking bored.    

“No.” Hayley said. “I meant you and Elijah.” At this the aforementioned man almost stepped into the room, but a glare from his sister backed him away. Rebekah wanted to see where this would go, and his presence would cease the bitch-fest. “You mentioned that you two had a fling the other day.”

Katherine blinked, as if she did not quite hear the words coming out of her opponent’s mouth. Then again, she could just be hearing her wrong. The possibility of her going deaf was very real. “Are you attempting to put yourself on the same level as me?” She placed a hand on her hip. “What I had with Elijah was more than just a fling, wolfie. It was something that was five hundred and twenty years in the making. If you even _dare_ to compare your quickie with my relationship, then you will see my wrath.” She whirled around to go retake her seat, noticing Elijah in the doorway as she did. Katherine simply raised her eyebrows and gave him a sassy look before the werewolf opened her mouth once more, and caused her to go to battle once more. One did have to give the girl props for determination.

“You’re just a pathetic human. You can’t hurt me.” Hayley guffawed, crossing her arms. “I’m not afraid of you.”

Her trademark smirk took hold on her face. “I may be human, and I may be dying. That much is true.” She turned to look back at the werewolf. “But I haven’t changed from the person that _you_ were taking orders from a few months ago.” Hayley huffed as Katherine went on. “I made myself who I am today, and I will never regret a moment of it. It is why I succeeded in surviving the rage of the most powerful creature on the planet. I don’t back down. I don’t give up.” She tossed her curls over her shoulder, in awe at the sheer gall this weak girl possessed. “I’m still Katherine Pierce, and if you have two brain cells to rub together in that pretty little head of yours, then you will tremble at my feet.” Not even bothering to allow the werewolf to formulate a rebuttal, Katherine sashayed in Elijah’s direction and scrutinized his appearance. Adjusting his tie by a fraction of an inch before running her hands down the front of his jacket, she whispered “Perfect” in his ear before walking past.

She didn’t get very far, however, as his hand shot out and grabbed her arm, twisting her to him, his gaze raking her scantily-clad figure. “You will not be getting away from me again, Katerina.” Elijah said.

“In that case, I suppose you’ll just have to catch me, _milord_.” Katherine detached his hand from her wrist with her other hand, before giving him a smoldering look and walking away.

As soon as she was out of his eyesight, Elijah turned around to face the three women left in the room. Ignoring the questioning looks coming from the young ones in the room and the knowing one from his sister, he simply walked over, plucked the glass of blood from Rebekah’s hand, and tossed it back. Katerina was one hell of a woman.

“Elijah? What was that?” Hayley asked, but she received no answer from the man in the suit.

“Don’t bother.” Rebekah said. “You just saw my brother and Katherine in all of their glory. I’ve often wondered at her ability to hold his attention for so long, but she is a Petrova, after all.” She shook her head, sharing a grin with Caroline, before the latter stood and exited, mentioning something about a phone call.

“I am still in the room, Rebekah.” Elijah looked up from his own glass of blood.

“Really? I wasn’t aware.” She gave him a sickly sweet smile. “Besides, I only speak the truth. You’ve been in love with that infernal woman for half your existence.”

Elijah only gave her a slight nod and smirk in response, effectively ending the conversation.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Caroline paced the Mikaelson porch, her finger hovering over the ‘Call’ button. Breathe in. Breathe out. She’s your friend. Nothing can go that wrong. Right?

Throwing caution to the wind, she pressed the button and waited for the other line to pick up. Pacing some more, she checked as the phone rang, going on for what seemed to be minutes. Finally, she picked up. Taking a breath, she answered the enthusiastic ‘Hello’.

"Bon? Yes, it's Care. Listen... Yes, I'm alive. Look, I have a  _huge_  favor to ask of you..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is probably one of my favorite chapters throughout the entire story. It's long--very long--but seriously, U just love everything about it. There's Katbekoline interacting, Klaroline dancing and talking, Kalijah finally communicating, and Caroline gets closure with Tyler. Then Katherine finally puts Hayley in her place because goodness knows that woman is just a hypocritical nuisance. 
> 
> Anyways, Bonnie makes an appearance next chapter, and...well, she's here to stay. One of my least favorite things about TVD is that Bonnie has always seemed to have gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to character arcs and personal development, and I seriously made sure to give her "screentime" in this story to develop herself. But that's all spoilers, so I'm going to stop talking now!
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading and kudoing, and I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
> 
> -Abi


	12. Part One: Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: "Bon? Yes, it's Care. Listen... Yes, I'm alive. Look, I have a huge favor to ask of you..."

Caroline paced the airport, checking the screens every few minutes to see if the flight was on time. When she had called her best friend asking if she could drop everything and come to New Orleans, she hadn’t actually thought Bonnie would literally drop everything and catch a flight, but that is what she did. From her friend’s tone on the phone, it seemed that she needed a break from everything in Mystic Falls. Everyone needed a break from that town, really. There were too many memories there and not all of them good.

So here she was, just over twenty-four hours after she called Bonnie, waiting for the flight to land. Caroline had missed her best friends more than she let on. Rebekah and Katherine were great, and they were quickly becoming something along the line of friends, but they could never replace Bonnie and Elena. Those two were her sisters, and nothing could come between that. Caroline checked the flight information screen again, and her undead heart jumped. Bonnie had landed. Now it was time to face the music, and see if her friend was going to hate her for this.

A few minutes later, the familiar face of her best friend appeared, and Caroline smiled as she rushed over and hugged the girl. “Bonnie!” She squealed. “Ohmygod you cut your hair! It’s so cute! How was the flight? Are you tired? Wait, can you even get tired?” She babbled happily.

 “Take a breath, Care. The flight was fine.” Bonnie laughed. “I’m glad you like the hair. I decided to be spontaneous and just chop it all off.”

“Well I think it’s adorable. You have my approval.” The blonde girl teased. “How did you get here so fast? I had thought it would have taken you a couple days to get flights.”

“Surprisingly, Damon is the reason.” Bonnie said. Caroline scoffed, and she nodded in agreement. “I know, right? Anyways, Elena and I went to the Boarding House over the weekend, and we were right in the middle of lunch when you called, and ever since you pulled your crazy disappearing act,” Here Bonnie fixed Caroline with a disapproving look. “Everyone’s been wondering how you’re doing.”

“So now everyone knows about what’s going on down here?” Caroline looked worried. “That’s not exactly what I wanted.”

“Only Elena knows the full story. I gave the guys an abbreviated version considering they aren’t exactly big Katherine fans.” She shrugged as they picked up her luggage and headed to Caroline’s car. “Anyways, there weren’t any more direct flights for another week, and the connecting ones had me stopping at like three airports with a ton of layovers, so Damon called in a few favors and got me a spot on an early flight through Atlanta.”

“Look at Damon, doing something right for once.” Caroline snickered. Then her heart dropped. They knew what was going on now, back home, and who knew what their reactions were? Was she hated now? God. This was a mess. “Bon… Do you want to grab a coffee? We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

“I was just about to suggest the same thing.” She smiled.

Fifteen minutes and one tiny coffee shop on the outskirts of the city later, the two friends were sitting across from each other, miles apart. “How… How did they all take it?” Caroline sighed. “Do they all hate me now? I mean, I ran off two nights after you came back to life for god’s sake with _Katherine_ of all people to New Orleans where Big Bad Klaus  & Co. live!”

Bonnie stared at her cup, playing with the straw. “They don’t…hate you, per se. But Care, you didn’t even leave a note! You were missing for almost a full day… Your mom was ready to send out a search party. And then all we got was a short voicemail where you basically told us that you were alive! The only reason we even knew where you were is because Stefan identified Klaus in the background! Everyone was really scared, okay?”

She ran a hand through her hair. “I know, Bon. I know. I didn’t want anyone to come after me, though. It felt right, to get away from home. New Orleans is… I can’t even explain it.” Caroline smiled, as if in a daydream. “The city is beautiful and so full of _life_. And I’ve been meeting people. There was this gala that we all went to and a ton of really old vampires were there, and I wasn’t just Caroline Forbes anymore, you know? I wasn’t held to the standards of my past, and instead was allowed to make a name for myself that didn’t rely upon my great-times-whatever grandfather signing a document that formed a town.” She took a sip out of her double espresso with a shot of mocha and extra caffeine. “Everything is just so different here.” Caroline said as she twisted her fingers under the table.

“You’re happy.” Bonnie smiled softly. Needless to say, it was surprising. Caroline was living in a house with a group of people that she had once professed to hate, and she seemed to be glowing. Whether it was the city, or even Klaus himself, something had happened to her best friend in the week that she had been down here, and it seemed to be for the better.

“I am.” Caroline laughed. “I really am. For the first time in a while, actually.” She sighed. “It’s not to say that everything’s peaches and cream, but really, it’s been wonderful. You’re probably going to die again because of this,” The brown-skinned girl gave her a mock-affronted look. “But I’m actually becoming friends with Rebekah and Katherine.”

“No!” Caroline couldn’t tell whether or not her friend was teasing or being serious, but she went with the former.

“I am! Not even kidding!” She giggled. “We went shopping for the gala and then had an epic girl’s night and really they’re quite fun!”

“Oh.” Bonnie remembered. “I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but have you heard from Tyler lately? Matt was wondering if he had called you since you two broke up, and he wasn’t answering his phone.” Caroline’s face dropped. “I guess that means yes.”

“It’s more like he’s working with Marcel—you know, Klaus’s enemy that I told you about—and we fought at the gala; anyways, he basically called me a whore and accused me of cheating on him with Klaus back home. Oh, and apparently I’ve betrayed you all.” The blonde ranted. She looked at Bonnie’s wide-eyed expression and sighed. “Sorry. I’m trying to get over it.”

“No, no, it’s okay. I’m just surprised that _Tyler_ said that.”

“Well I’m not. But anyways, you might see him around the city, so it’s probably good that you know.” Caroline huffed angrily, pushing a curl behind her ear. “Anyways, Klaus,” She smiled slightly, remembering the insolent hybrid who had been just so damn sexy that evening. “Had impeccable timing and managed to get me away before things got any more heated and we disrupted the party.” She avoided Bonnie’s gaze, staring at the table.

“Care…” Bonnie started, knowing that look.

“What?” The aforementioned snapped. She was more than aware of where this was going.

“Care, do you… You know, like him?”

“Bon, honestly, why on earth would y—”

“Caroline, cut it out.” Bonnie said sharply. “I can tell when you’re hiding something. Now, it’s a yes or no question. Do you have feelings for Klaus or not?” Caroline, of course, did the unexpected thing and burst into tears. She sighed and grasped her crying friend’s hand. “Go on… Let it all out.”

“I don’t want to feel this way, okay?” The vampire sobbed. “I mean… He’s done a lot of terrible things. Like, really, really, shitty stuff, and he’s killed a lot of people and just, god, I never asked for this!” She dabbed at her face, trying not to smear her makeup as she calmed down. “But then he draws me ponies and talks about hummingbirds and his feelings and he’s genuinely interested in _me_ and my hopes and dreams, and somehow or another, I’m not afraid of him even when like… I really should be, you know? And we’re friends, Bon. Close friends. Hell, I may even be falling for him.” Caroline sniffled, nibbling on her half-eaten cinnamon scone for comfort. “Does that make me a bad person?”

Bonnie just sat stunned as her best friend let it all out. They had always known that Klaus had a thing for Caroline, and to be honest, Bonnie had felt that the feelings were not completely unrequited, but in love with Klaus? That was a lot to take in. “Are you sure? You aren’t just rebounding from Tyler, right?”

“I hooked up with Jesse the Sexy TA at Whitmore. I’ve done the rebound thing.” She retorted dryly. “This is different. He’s been on my mind for a while, but I don’t think I ever really like acknowledged _what_ I felt until I was around him 24/7.” Caroline sighed. “He’s not the monster around me. And this isn’t because I like… Want to save him or anything. It’s because he’s fun and romantic and he gets on my nerves like every minute of the day but that just makes me like him even more, and I really didn’t want this, Bon. You’re got to believe me. But it happened.”

Bonnie played with the hem of her shirt, trying to figure out how to respond. Clearly Caroline had been holding all of this in for a long time, and it wasn’t time to judge right now. Not when if, god forbid, anything between Care and Klaus did happen, the backlash from everyone back home wouldn’t be the greatest. No, it was time to be a friend. “Well,” She sighed “other than the speech that I _should_ be giving you on the evils of Klaus,”

“Tyler gave me that one, so you really don’t have to bother.” Caroline interjected, attempting a smile.

“You could never be a bad person, Care, okay? Ever. I just think this is something that you need to figure out slowly. Klaus is a scary guy. And I don’t think _anyone_ should get involved with him, but at the same time, I want to see you happy. So just… Make sure that you’re one hundred percent sure that he’s it for you before going into anything. I don’t want you to get hurt, especially when it comes to that man.” She fixed her friend with a look. “I still don’t think it’s a good idea, though.”

“I won’t be rushing into anything.” Caroline wiped away the last remnants of tears. “Been there, done that. Multiple times.”

“Good.” Bonnie smiled.       

Caroline ran a hand through her hair, calming down from the emotional conversation. “Anyways, here we are and all we’ve really talked about is me. Please, vent all you like because you’ve totally earned it after that cry-fest!” The blonde giggled. “Oh, how are you and Jeremy? Anything I should know about?” She winked.

“Caroline!” Bonnie gasped. “I just came back to life! We haven’t exactly made time to like… Fall into bed!”

“Which is exactly why you should have! You’ve been going without on the Other Side. That’s nothing that a good night with the boyfriend can’t cure!”

“You are ridiculous.” Bonnie shook her head, having missed her friend’s antics. “Anyways, Jeremy and I haven’t exactly defined what we are. I’ve been busy with college and adjusting to life again, and while we’ve made out a few times, we never really had the talk, you know? I mean, last time we dated, he cheated on me with his ghostly ex-girlfriend. I need to be sure he won’t do that again.”

“I agree. You two need to be careful and not repeat mistakes.”

“I’m glad we agree.” Bonnie smiled, and they went back to their drinks and idle chatter.

                                                      -0-0-0-0-0-

“Hello? I saw the cars so I know you all are home!” Caroline yelled as she and Bonnie walked in the manor. The newcomer was looking around, eyes wide at the grandiose of the house. “It’s a pretty house, isn’t it?” The former smiled. “It was built back in the 1800’s or so.”

“Actually, make that the 1730’s, love. This house was built for the governor of the New Orleans settlement around ten years after the colony was legalized in 1718.” Klaus swaggered down the stairs, smirking at the glare that Bonnie sent his way. “Little witch.”

“Klaus.” She nodded curtly. “And you can call me the anchor, now. Not so much a witch, anymore.”

“How devastating.” He retorted.

“Can you two play nice please?” Caroline sighed. “We’re all adults.”

“Who’s here?” A voice sounded from upstairs and someone leaned over the banister. “Another one of them? What is this, invasion of the Scooby Gang?” And the head popped back to where it had come from.

“Who’s that?” The brunette was vaguely familiar to Bonnie, but she couldn’t quite place her.

Caroline arched an eyebrow. “That’s Hayley. Friend of Tyler’s. She was working with Shane to release Silas and is the indirect cause of the second sacrifice.” At Bonnie’s confused look, she rolled her eyes. “Klaus knocked her up. That’s why she’s here.”

“Is that even possible?” Bonnie side-eyed Klaus, her opinion of him dropping even more.

“Clearly so.” Klaus intoned. He had never been a particular fan of the Bennett…anchor, or whatever she was now, but Caroline liked her and Elijah seemed to think she would be helpful, so he could tolerate her. For now.

“You forgot to mention her in your phone call, Care.” Bonnie smirked at the glare her best friend was shooting upstairs.

“That’s because I try to forget she even exists.” Caroline gave a sarcastic laugh. “Now, because I really don’t feel like talking about the wolf right now and I hear everyone in the parlor, we’re going to go there.” She headed in that direction, the thought of Hayley and Klaus together putting a bad taste in her mouth. Bonnie decided to take the more polite route and simply avoid talking to the hybrid, and followed after her best friend, the man trailing in her footsteps.

A short time later, the entire group was settled in various chairs, talking. Bonnie was getting acclimated to the atmosphere in the manor. The dynamics had shifted from how everything was in Mystic Falls; the lines between good and bad were blurred. It was different, seeing everyone in an unknown element. Engaged in a conversation with Elijah about the Other Side, she suddenly shrieked at the whisper in her ear. Whirling around to face the intruder, she scowled.

“You.” Of course it was him. Of course.

“Miss me, darling?” He asked, that damn grin plastered on his face.

“Bon…” Caroline asked, and she sighed. Everyone in the room was looking at her now. “What was that?”

Bonnie rolled her eyes. “I’m the anchor now, Care. I can see and touch and talk to everyone on the Other Side. And a certain dead person won’t leave me alone.” The last part she directed at the person who had been behind her, her tone full of malice.

“Oh please, you enjoy my attentions.” He said, causing her to roll her eyes.

“You wish.” Bonnie glared at an empty chair near Elijah’s.

“Oh my god” Rebekah gasped. “It’s Kol, isn’t it? He’s here.” At her female friend’s looks, she rolled her eyes. “There’s only one person that I know is able to fully irritate a woman as much as Bonnie currently is, and that’s my charming brother. It’s him.”

“Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!” The dead Original laughed. “The strumpet wins the prize!”

“Yes, he’s here.” Bonnie groaned. “Your _lovely_ brother and I met up a few times when I was dead. He seems to enjoy stalking me even now.”

Caroline couldn’t help but notice the hopeful looks on the Mikaelsons’ faces. They could sort of talk to their brother again, and that could be really great. Hypothetically. It was Kol, after all…

“I only met up with you because my family is dreadfully boring, dear, and if I hung around this house all day, I would have _perished_ from their mind-numbing antics.” Kol arched an eyebrow. “Tell Klaus that he picked a horrible woman to knock up and that he should have found someone sexier. I find his taste in women poor.”

Bonnie crossed her arms. “You’re insufferable.” He gave her a wounded look.

“What did he say now?” Klaus asked.

“He disapproves of Hayley, and you’ve got poor taste in women.” She abbreviated. “Oh, and all of you are boring enough to make him want to die. Again.”

“Please Kol, tell us how you really feel.” Klaus rolled his eyes.

“Kol!” Bonnie sounded mortally offended. “No. I refuse to say that.”

“But darling, it’ll be _amusing_.” She scoffed at Kol’s reply.

“I think that statement would be illegal for anyone under eighteen to hear! I refuse to repeat it.” Of course, now everyone’s curiosity was peaked, but Bonnie remained adamant.

“But Bunny, dear...”

“Whining is unattractive in grown men, Kol.” She huffed. “I’m not suggesting that. Give up. And my name is not Bunny!”

“When it comes to you, _Bunny_ , never.” He smirked.

“Come on Bon, what did he say?” Caroline persisted, hoping to draw it out.

Bonnie fixed her with a cold look. “Would you like to hear the Original Jackass’s detailed plans for something that would put the time us and Elena discovered and read half of the ‘mommy porn’ section of the bookstore to shame, or it just me who would like to censor him?”

Caroline flushed bright red, attempting to ignore Klaus’s intrigued look. “Never mind. Don’t say anything.”

“Forbes, I am shocked!” Katherine laughed. “I thought you were always Little Miss Perfect, but here we are, and the truth is revealed!”

“We were eleven, and the covers looked romantic! It’s not my fault that the descriptions were misleading.” She pouted, and Rebekah laughed. “Anyways, Mrs. Gilbert eventually found one of the books underneath Elena’s bed and we never saw those books again.”

“But not before you had some… _fun_ with them, right?” Katherine’s eyes glinted, winking.

“We were eleven!” Caroline shrieked, blushing even more. “Eleven! We hadn’t even been through fifth grade health yet! There was no fun going on! It was more like we were traumatized for life because of those trashy novels!”

“They make you take a class for…that stuff?” Rebekah interjected.

“It’s terrible.” The youngest vampire said gravely. “I think it was as scarring as the novels. I’ll need therapy because of that class.”

“Stop being such a pervert, Kol.” Bonnie held steadfast against his attempts to get her to relay messages. “It’s another thing that I find extremely irritating.”

“You just need to loosen up, darling. Have some fun.” He cocked his head.

“Or I could stay perfectly normal and far, far away from your definition of fun. I think that sounds like a much better idea.” She retorted.

“Kol, leave the poor girl alone.”  Elijah cut in, overseeing the ongoing conversations in the room.

The youngest brother huffed and replied, causing her to laugh. Bonnie turned back to Elijah. “He says that he’ll stop whenever you…” Here she refocused on Kol “Ah. That’s right. Whenever you ‘do us all a favor and go catch that pain in the ass woman. She loosens you up enough to make you tolerable.” At Elijah’s offended expression—and Katherine’s smug look, whatever that was about—she snickered. “Kol’s words, not mine.” Just then, Bonnie’s eyes strayed to the far corner of the room where a young girl had just appeared. She made a show of digging out her phone and checking it, before standing up. “Excuse me… I should take this.” Bonnie walked out, her face turning pale as she passed the ghost who followed her out of the room.

Caroline’s eyes trailed her best friend, scrutinizing her movements. Something was up with that girl. Bonnie had never been a great actress, but that had to be one of her worst attempts at lying yet. She was going to find out what it was if she had to compel it out of Bonnie herself.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Kol followed the former witch out of his family’s manor and into the woods. He had seen the little girl show up, he’d even asked Bonnie about it, but she had just ignored him and left.

“Leave me alone, Kol!” She shouted, picking up on his presence.

“Not until I find out why the kid’s here.” They stopped and he stood in front of her, arms crossed.

She just rolled her eyes and turned around, getting down to the girl’s level. The child appeared to be about the age of seven or eight, and from he could tell, was chattering on to Bonnie in Mandarin. “I see.” The anchor nodded. “I’m sorry that happened. You’re very young to cross over.” Bonnie smiled softly and wiped away the little girl’s tears. “I was a witch too, you know?” The child looked up and smiled, her grin missing baby teeth. “It’ll be safe, where you’re going. I promise. All you have to do is walk through me, and you’ll be in a happier place.” The lady stood, smiled reassuringly at the young ghost, and took a deep breath.

Kol watched as the little Asian girl calmly stepped through Bonnie and disappeared. For a split second it seemed anticlimactic, but then the anchor broke into gut-wrenching screams, her legs giving out. He swooped in and kept her from falling to the ground; she was sobbing from the pain. Eventually she calmed down and straightened up, taking a step back before brushing herself off.

“What the hell was that, Bonnie?” Kol’s voice was calm but firm. He was going to get answers, because that was the exact opposite of enjoyable.

She sighed and made eye contact, hands still trembling. “I’m the anchor, Kol. To get to the Other Side, all the dead supernatural must pass through me. And when they do that, I…feel their deaths. Their pain becomes mine.” Bonnie shrugged. “It’s only happened a couple of times since I was brought back. Sometimes it isn’t bad… There was an old werewolf who died in her sleep a few days ago. I just got really drowsy, then.” She looked at the ground, avoiding his shocked expression. “The little girl told me that she had found her mother’s grimoire, and was trying to do magic. It was just too much, I suppose.”

“And you felt her death.” He deadpanned. “A very painful one, I see.”

“Yes.” She agreed, on both counts. “But it’s my life, from now on. I chose to become the anchor, even if I didn’t know what it entailed. This is my duty.”

“I can’t imagine that you’re excited to experience pain for the rest of your existence.” Kol said. He certainly wouldn’t be. That looked…miserable.

“I’m not.” Bonnie rolled her eyes. “But it is how it is. And I’ll deal with it. Besides, I get to see my friends now. I don’t have to worry about dying on them. The pros outweigh the cons, I guess. I’ll be okay.”

“If you say so.” Kol backed off, as he could see she was closing up. They started walking back to the manor.

“You know,” Bonnie smiled and bumped his shoulder. “You aren’t half bad when you’re not like…killing people or making ridiculously perverted comments.”

He laughed. “You secretly like my comments, Bennett.”

“Just keep telling yourself that.” She smirked. “After all, it’s not like your ego can really inflate that much more.”

“Keep living in denial, darling, but I am irresistible, and you know it.” Kol winked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Bonnie's here! And along with her is the fourth member of the Mikaelsons, the deadly and sassy Kol. Both of these characters are ones who were...shafted by the TVD writers, and therefore this story is one way I am aiming to fix them. I did say I was tackling issues from canon!
> 
> Anyways, thank you all for reading and kudoing, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! This is also the end of Part One--expect a small timejump in the beginning of the next chapter. Now, I'm off to edit chps 13 and 14.
> 
> -Abi


	13. Part Two: Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: “Keep living in denial, darling, but I am irresistible, and you know it.” Kol winked.

It had been one month since the arrival of Bonnie Bennett to New Orleans, and one month since the revelation of Kol Mikaelson being bored to death in his family’s home. Again. Considering he was, literally, a dead man.

Then again, his siblings could be _exceedingly_ boring when one considered it. After all, Elijah had spent the entire summer locked in a coffin. How entertaining. While Rebekah’s summer may have been more interesting—he did spend a bit of time watching over his baby sister while she was in Europe—the quarterback had never grown on Kol, so that was distasteful as well. Klaus of course, was about as fun as watching paint dry, especially when one must consider that that is what Kol ended up doing with the majority of his time. Yes, it really was marvelous having an artist for a brother. Nothing like a little bit of paint to go alongside the family-stabbing asshat. It’s not like there were bitter unresolved feelings within his family. No, none whatsoever.

Even with the arrivals of Caroline and Katherine, not much had picked up within his family. They did bring a little bit of life to the dour manor, but not enough. Now, he did enjoy the dressing-down they would give the pretentious werewolf. Those were the good days. It was the bad days that were more frequent, and they were the days that hurt.

Maybe it was the fact that the lives of his siblings had just continued with his death; that they seemed to just move along; his brothers chasing women who said they did not want them while their actions spoke the opposite; his sister enjoying her first taste of real singledom. Yes, Kol was more than aware of her illegal tryst with Marcellus. Nothing like a bit of blackmail within family.

It could also be the little fact that he had always been the forgotten one. Rebekah, Elijah, and Niklaus with their little loyalty pact, continuously flaunting their ‘Always and Forever’. What a farce. That spoken contract did not include him, and Kol would not force himself to uphold their codes. He owed them nothing. He was the last boy before Darling Baby Bekah was born, the love of his parents forever stunted by his siblings. Even Henrik—bless his soul, for he was the only innocent in a family such as theirs—had contributed to this. His family was a fucking mess. There was no other way to put it.

They destroyed each other. Petty fights escalated into wars, which grew into empires rising and falling because of the whim of a Mikaelson sibling. They were a disaster, and Kol was tired of it. No bleeding wonder he would go off on his own for decades. Spending time with this lot was enough to drive any man insane. Yet, as he had been on the Other Side, whiling away into nothingness, he could not drag himself away from his family for long. He hated them, and yet he loved them. Kol loathed the very sight of his brothers and sister, but at the same time he found himself shadowing his brother during the months the man was attempting to pull his shit together. There would be days that Kol would end up in the lair of the little witch Davina, standing guard over the coffin that housed Elijah. And it would be the weeks that he spent in Europe, keeping an eye on his shacking-up-with-the-quarterback sister, even when she was more than capable of taking care of herself.

He had run into the Bennett Witch a few times over the summer; it seemed they had similar motives. The first time was in Prague, while she was stalking her dear friend Donovan. Having nothing better to do—not to mention the fact that neither of them really wanted to _watch_ the antics his sister, the quarterback, and that pretty little street rat got up to behind closed doors—he ended up showing her around the city. It wasn’t like she had been anywhere, and Kol fancied himself to be a _marvelous_ tour guide. When she wasn’t telling him off for being such a pervert, he could honestly admit that he enjoyed Bonnie’s company. And, well, it was nice to get to actually have a real conversation. To feel someone again, as if you were both living.

In that day in Prague, both Bonnie Bennett and Kol Mikaelson forgot for a blessed day that they were dead. And what a day that was.

-0-0-0-0-0-

“How’s Davina coming along?” Caroline asked Bonnie, stealing a chocolate-covered strawberry from Katherine’s box, promptly getting her hand smacked away. It was after dinner in the manor, and everyone was relaxing in the lounge. Katherine was nibbling on the treat she had picked up the day before, and the blonde vampire was unofficially munching on them as well. Rebekah was ensconced with something on her laptop, and the remaining undead Mikaelson brothers were playing chess.

“Davina’s doing pretty well.” She replied. “Between my coaching and Kol’s brain full of magic knowledge, she’s been doing simple spells without passing out.”

“So everything’s looking good, then?” Katherine looked up from her goodies. “Your little witchy team is going to find something to make me stop falling apart?”

“That all depends upon finding the correct spell to undo the cure’s process. Which we haven’t found yet.” Bonnie rolled her eyes. “You should keep in mind that I’m certainly not doing this to keep _you_ alive. I’m doing this because Caroline seems to see some sort of redeemable quality in you—not that anyone else does.”

“Trust me, I am more than well aware of the fact that everyone on this planet loathes my guts. It’s nothing new.” The human muttered.

Rebekah stood and walked over, computer in hand. Sitting down beside Bonnie, she turned the laptop towards her, pointing to the screen. “I looked up some of Kol’s Merry Band of Witches, and pulled together the ones from the oldest lines; they are the most likely to have a grimoire with the spell.”

“Perfect.” The anchor nodded, scanning the list. “Some of these lines are almost extinct or extremely hostile and reclusive… How does he even manage contact with them?” She asked, really to herself.

Rebekah took it as an actual question. “As much as I loathe him, Kol is a genius, especially with magical matters. He had first-hand experience with my mother and Ayanna—two of the most powerful witches in existence. Magic is his forte, and the witches know it. He’s had a band of them as long as I can remember.”

It took a minute for what the man in question’s sister was saying to actually get through Bonnie’s head. “Excuse me?” She asked. “Kol was a warlock?”

“Yes.” Rebekah said, as if this was blatantly obvious. “One of my earliest memories is of him making my doll float above my reach, and he was not yet ten.”

“That’s extremely advanced.” Bonnie muttered, thoughts spinning. It was not so much the fact that _Kol_ of all people was born with the gift of Nature. No, it was more the fact that she could easily picture the ghost doing spells, channeling magic. It was an…interesting mental image. “He must have made a marvelous warlock.”

“He would have.” Rebekah agreed, typing a few things on her computer. “Unfortunately he was banned from any official training by our father. Mikael said magic was women’s work. Esther, of course, never dared combat his opinion, and that was the end of my brother’s magic.” She shrugged. “Of course, that did not stop Kol from stealing Esther’s grimoire and attempting spells on his own. A few spells worked, some did nothing whatsoever, and the majority of them blew something up.” Rebekah laughed, Bonnie joining in. “He was always too reckless for his own good, even as a human. He dared to defy the rules; Kol was never afraid of Mikael. Not even when he should have been. Not when the rest of us were.” The ancient lady sighed, glancing to the window, mind far away. “I am afraid that the loss of his magic while transitioning—no matter how untapped his reserves were— _did_ something to my brother. He became hard, cold, unfeeling.” She sighed, before snapping out of her divulging-secrets moment. “Anyways, bottom line is that because of the warlock thing, witches are willing to converse with Kol unlike any other of my family. If anyone has the right contact for a matter like this, it’s my brother.”

“What is my sister saying about me now, darling?” Kol strutted into the lounge, leaning over the back of the couch to read the computer screen. “Ahhh, so she took the names of the witches. At least someone is listening to the dead guy around here.”

“Rebekah thinks one of these are the most likely to have the correct spell.” Bonnie looked over her shoulder at him.

The female Original rolled her eyes. “You would think that after a month I would be used to that, but I’m really not.”

“Tell Rebekah that she should be nicer to me, or I’ll spill all the torrid secrets of her dirty little tryst to the world via you.” Kol smirked. Bonnie rolled her eyes and repeated the statement. She didn’t particularly like Rebekah anyways, so whatever Kol had over his sister, she couldn’t be brought to care.

Kol’s sister paled, glancing over at her other brothers before snapping her eyes to the space Bonnie was speaking to. “You wouldn’t dare.” She hissed. “Kol, you know what that could do.”

Bonnie’s smirk matched the reckless Original’s. “Kol says he is disappointed Rebekah… He thought you had higher standards than Marcellus.” She paused for a second. “Wait, who is Marcellus?”

“That would be Marcel, the conniving upstart who stole my kingdom, Bennett.” Klaus commented, tuning into the conversation. He moved his rook, taking Elijah’s bishop. “You should know these things by now.”

“I’m sorry that I haven’t exactly been devoted to learning the Mikaelson family history. Why don’t you burn me at the stake?” Bonnie shot back.

“If you were not already dead, I would not hesitate.” He moved yet another chess piece. Caroline gave them both dirty looks. “How did my former protégé come up in conversation?”

“Because he gave our floozy of a baby sister one of _those_ looks and she fell right into bed with him, that’s why.” Kol laughed, winking at Bonnie.

“Kol. Did you just call your sister a floozy? I mean… Floozy? Really?” She shook her head, actually finding this situation amusing. “What is this, nineteen forty-two?”

At Bonnie’s reply, the Original Hybrid connected the dots. His gaze flickered to his sister, her eyes closed, face pale.  “Rebekah…”

“Nik.” She whispered, looking down at her hands. It was all the confirmation he needed.

“And here’s when it gets fun.” Kol smirked, eyes glinting. Bonnie simply rolled her eyes and didn’t reply. Everyone’s attention was on the blonde Originals. Katherine and Caroline had stopped chatting, and Elijah discreetly moved the marble chess set out of his brother’s reach. Bonnie snatched the laptop off of Rebekah and placed it on a side table.

“What was this, Rebekah? He’s planning a move against me, isn’t he? It makes sense.” Klaus stood, running a hand through his hair. His sister sat quietly, confirming everything he said. “And what part of this do you play? Have you conspired against your own blood as well?”

“I didn’t mean for it to happen Nik.” She sighed. “Really, I didn’t.”

“Answer the question, Bekah.”

“Nik…”

“Answer the damn question, Rebekah!” Klaus shouted, startling everyone, for he had been quite calm before. Caroline watched the face-off between the siblings, scared as to where this might go.

 “Fine.” Rebekah stood. “You want the answer, Nik? I’ll give it to you.” She took a few steps closer, glaring in his eyes. “Marcel offered to make me his queen.” The blonde lady spoke in a deathly whisper.

“So you have betrayed me, then! You have betrayed our family!” Klaus’s voice was full of rage, but there was a hint of sadness present as well. “Over a millennia, and you have finally done it. And for what? Yet another man that you believe yourself to be in love with?”

“Just because you are a heartless shell of a man does not mean the rest of us must live as so!” She cried, tears of anger welling within her eyes. “Love is not always a weakness, Niklaus! No matter what you have been proclaiming for a thousand years, it is not! I refuse to live the cold and miserable life you have damned your soul to. Whether I get my heart broken a million times or simply one, I will love and be loved.” Rebekah proclaimed.

“You are a fool, sister.” Klaus spat. “You throw your heart at a never-ending string of unworthy men, taken in by their pretty words and smiles. Grow up.”

“And you’re a coward!” Rebekah shrieked, before lowering her voice. “You are just a coward. You fear love and so you do not let yourself experience it.” Her tone increased. “Well guess what, Nik?  At least I have people who care about me. You are simply alone.”

Caroline could see that his sister’s words affected Klaus more than he let on. “Have you forgotten what Marcellus did to you, Rebekah? Because I remember. He chose immortality over you!” By now the siblings were screaming at each other, all volume control thrown out the window.

“Because you put him up to it!”

“He was always going to choose eternal life over you! He views you as a trophy! As the pretty Original to have on his arm, smiling at the crowds while wearing her tiara. That is it!”

“I know, damn it!” Rebekah yelled. Silence fell as everyone took in her words. “I know how he views me. I know.” She shook her head, choking up. “And that is why I turned Marcel down the morning before the gala.”

“Beks—” Caroline’s voice was quiet, but cutting in the silence. Klaus’s head snapped towards her.

“Don’t.” Rebekah interrupted. “Please, don’t pity me. It has been a month.”

“Are you s—”

“Caroline!” The Original cut her off. “I said I am fine. Now if you will excuse me, I would like to be alone for a while.” Rebekah stood and left the room, leaving everyone to scatter and contemplate the evening’s events.

-0-0-0-0-0-

It was the morning after the fight, and Caroline was preparing to go out. Klaus had begun the hybrid-making process three weeks ago, and he offered to take her along to the pack, just simply to see the progress made. After all, she had had a part in the turnings. To be honest, she was curious about the whole situation. Her previous experiences with hybrids had been colored by Tyler’s biases, and her knowledge of werewolves and packs in general was slim-to-none. It could never be said that Caroline Forbes passed up an opportunity to learn.

It was cold enough to warrant a jacket and scarf—it was mid-December, after all—and she pulled on her boots before going over her appearance in the mirror. Perfect. Now it was time to go meet some hybrids.

“Does your family celebrate Christmas?” Caroline asked randomly as she and Klaus rode to the pack’s campsite, which was about an hour outside the city. She was attempting to break the silence of the car ride.

“When at the various royal courts we would, simply because that was the custom.” He shrugged. “When it was just us, no. Christmas was not in existence when we were children. We never saw any reason for it.”

“That is a tragedy.” Caroline gasped, causing him to laugh.

“What about you, sweetheart? Obviously you celebrate, but are there any traditions that I should expect?” He asked, shocking her, though she hid it well. The fact that _Klaus_ seemed okay with her creating Christmas in the manor was slightly mind-boggling.

“Well,” She started. “When I was really little, I always stayed up waiting for Santa.” When he snickered, Caroline shot him a glare before continuing with her story. “On Christmas morning, I would always have hot chocolate with extra marshmallows for breakfast while unwrapping all of my presents. My grandmother and great aunt would always spend the day with us.” Caroline’s face dropped, remembering the next part of her story. “But then my dad left, Nana passed away, and my great aunt retired to Hawaii. I mean, it all happened over the space of a few years, but still. Anyways, things changed; I would open presents from my dad and Steven, and my mom that morning before they went to go spend time with Steven’s family, and then mom and I would go over to Elena’s for the rest of the day. Bonnie and her dad came some years, and Matt, Vicki, and Mrs. Donovan were always there. That was how it was, and it was always really happy and fun.” She shrugged, playing with the ends of her scarf. “I guess I don’t have any long-standing traditions… Kind of sad, I suppose.”

“I don’t think so.” Klaus said. He always did enjoy hearing about Caroline’s early life; how she was as a child, and just as a human in general. It gave him more insight into the brilliant woman sitting beside him today. “Traditions do not make the holiday.” Caroline smiled, playing with the end of her scarf. “Are you going to see your mother this year?”

“No.” She shook her head. “We talked the other day, and I really think there’s just too much going on here to leave. I’m going to drop her present in the mail tomorrow, and she’s agreed to send some more of Bonnie and I’s stuff along with our presents.” Caroline sighed. “It’s really for the best.”

“If you say so, love.”

“I do.”

“Okay.” He sensed that she was done with this train of conversation. Arriving at their destination, Klaus pulled the car over to the side of the road. “This is as far as we should go. We need to walk from here.” He cut the car off and got out, pocketing the keys as she got out and stretched.

“I’m actually excited for this… I’m ashamed to say that I’m fairly ignorant when it comes to werewolf culture, so this is like really fascinating.” Caroline babbled. Klaus smirked when he saw that she had brought a notebook and pencil with her.

“And you appear to be doing a scientific study, I see.” He commented, nodding his head at her materials as they walked into the woods.

Caroline rolled her eyes. “Actually, this is for your benefit.” At his questioning look, she continued. “From my _extremely_ limited knowledge, the hybrids are now going to see you as their Alpha. And a good Alpha takes care of his pack.” Caroline gave him a pointed look. “Therefore, I will be asking around as to the needs of the pack—considering they can’t exactly come out of their campsite for fear of becoming revealed—so that _you_ can fulfill them.” She smirked at Klaus’s dumbfounded expression. “Now, since I smell a bunch of individuals in need of a shower up ahead, you can introduce me now, and then thank me later with a box of chocolate-covered strawberries. Capisci?”

“You speak Italian now?” Klaus asked as they continued to the fringes of the campsite.

“Only what I learned in school; I also took French. However, I plan to speak both fluently one day.” She shrugged. “Now stop changing the subject!”

“And I am sure that you will.” He gave her one of _those_ smiles, dimples flashing, before waltzing into the middle of the campsite.

It was—from what Caroline saw—a very nice campsite. There were about twenty tents in a large semi-circle, and distinguishably different areas for cooking, eating, hanging out, etc. Closing her eyes, she listened. Caroline could distinguish the movements of roughly fifty men and women around the camp—her practice had paid off. Opening her eyes, she saw that Klaus was ahead of her, and she jogged to catch up.

A tall woman of an unknown ethnic background came forward and shook Klaus’s hand, bowing her head in deference. She appeared to be in her late-fifties, and it was clear that she was the matriarch of the camp.

“New recruits came to the camp last evening, Klaus. They wish to be turned.” The woman said.

“Excellent, Susan. I will induct them later this afternoon once we review them.” Klaus was very formal with the pack of hybrids; it was obvious that they recognized them as their Alpha.

“We?” Susan asked.

“Yes, we. If that is alright with you, sweetheart, I would appreciate your second opinion.” He asked Caroline as the hybrids gathered in the common area. She nodded her assent and smiled. Klaus surprised her however—she had gone widely unnoticed amongst the commotion of the _Alpha Hybrid_ visiting his pack—when he wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her next to him. “Everyone!” He raised his voice, eyes snapping to the pair. “I would like to present Caroline Forbes,” She smiled at the crowd, waving at a couple of children she noticed in the mix. “She is a personal friend, and is to be treated with every accordance that you would give a member of my family. And on th—” Klaus’s words were shocked out of his mouth, for at that very moment the crowd of hybrids kneeled in front of their Alpha and the lady by his side, bowing their heads. This was not that unusual—after all, the pack had done the same thing when he first introduced himself to them—but they had not repeated it when Elijah had come to visit the previous week. “You may rise.” He quickly recovered, and they stood. “We will be taking a tour of the camp as well as familiarizing ourselves with each of you, so until then commence with your daily activities!” Klaus waved them off, and the group dispersed.

“What the hell was that?” Caroline whispered harshly.

“Why on earth would I know? Please, don’t blame me.” He shot back.

“Well, they’re your pack. How am I supposed to know that they don’t kneel at the end of all of your speeches?” She scoffed.

“Come now love, that would be impractical. I have no earthly idea as to the explanation of my hybrids’ actions.” Klaus said. “I was as caught off guard as you were.”

Caroline went to fire back a retort, when a laugh cut her off. It was Susan, giving the bickering pair amused looks. “You two really have no idea, do you?”

“No!” They said in unison, exasperated. Caroline sighed. “Can you please explain it? Because otherwise I’m going to have to do a ton of research on this and I really don’t have time for it. Though I would like to explore your library.” She directed the last statement at Klaus.

The older hybrid shook her head fondly. “The pack has recognized their Alpha.” She said cryptically. Her meaning then dawned on Klaus, though it appeared that Caroline needed clarification. “Their Alpha female, child.”

“Oh shit.” Caroline appeared as if she had been hit over the head with a shovel, though Klaus could practically see her mind moving a million miles a minute. She took a deep breath, shaking herself out of the momentary reverie. “In that case, we have work to do.” Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a pad of sticky notes, and started pasting them on the front pages of her notebook. “I noticed there were children in the crowd… I thought you were only recruiting young, single, werewolves?” She asked Klaus as they and Susan walked through the camp.

“I was.” He agreed. “However with the nearby packs that was not totally possible. Willing werewolves were not always the young ones, and I had to extend my offer to the elder bracket, and a few came with children and teenagers. I also accepted three pregnant females who wish to be turned once they deliver; it allows for pack expansion, and they are willing to assist with the children whenever the rest are training.”

“This is marvelous.” Caroline looked around at the bustle of the campsite. “Everyone seems to know their place in the society, and it’s all so…communal.”

“That is what a werewolf pack is, Caroline. Your pack becomes your family; everyone contributes to the common wellbeing and survival. The Alpha pair is essentially the father and mother of the pack, and they protect their family with their lives.” Klaus said, slipping in the reference to the earlier occurrence casually. He was surprised that the pack had recognized her as so; while as part-wolves they would be able to recognize the connection between their Alpha and her, it was an unheard of occurrence for a vampire to be recognized as a member of an Alpha pair. Non-triggered werewolves, yes. That sometimes happened. There was even a human female that married the Alpha male of a pack Klaus had met centuries ago, and she was given the honor. But a vampire? Never. It must have to do with the pack consisting of hybrids, and their werewolf side accepting her because they too were half-vampire. Yes, that must be it.

“So… That is why you were so upset when you heard what Hayley had done to your first pack of hybrids.” Caroline said tentatively.

“Yes.” He said firmly. “Though it was I that killed them, she as good as swung the sword.”

“And yet… Wouldn’t you receive the same punishment as her, then?” Caroline was confused with this multi-layered society with its different class levels.

“I was their Alpha, Caroline, and they were disloyal to me.” Klaus was very matter-of-fact. “I had the right to punish them as I saw fit, and as I cannot have people who are disloyal to me, they had to be finished. I acted in accordance with the customs of werewolves. Hayley, however, led twelve members of her pack to the slaughter for her own personal gain. That qualifies as betrayal of the highest order, and is in direct violation of all that werewolves agree with; therefore, it garners the ultimate penalty. She should be thankful I have not spread word of her transgressions to every major wolf pack on the continent, thereby guaranteeing her being turned away from all of them. I can make her life a living hell with no more than three phone calls.” He smirked, guiding Caroline to another tent. “To a wolf, death is a kinder punishment than eternal banishment from a pack. We crave the companionship, the family. There is no greater pain than to be all alone in this world.”

As they moved to the various tents, Klaus—with a slight bit of help from Susan—introduced the hybrids to Caroline individually. He was proud of her; in a normal situation, these men and women would most likely be her enemies. However, she charmed them just as she did him—with her pretty smile and open-yet-firm demeanor. Once again, he was seeing her as a queen. She took to the role effortlessly, with an obvious system to memorize the pack members. She took down the name and age of every hybrid or werewolf, and wrote their needs down on a sticky note, which she then placed in differing priority columns. Caroline also conversed with each person, truly getting a feel for their personality. She was just…magnificent.

His job was easy this time. The first few visits to the pack were made alone, and he had tried to come four times a week, those first couple of weeks. Klaus refused to make the same mistakes with this pack that he made with his first group of hybrids. This was a different game. Some things were the same, yes. The hybrids knew that he was their Alpha, and they were all sired to him. But this would be the pack that he won his kingdom with, and they could not be treated the same as that inaugural pack in Mystic Falls. No, if he had learned anything in the short time he had been in New Orleans, it was that he could never take back the city without a loyal pack of followers. That, and Caroline’s speech about dictatorships never standing for long the other week, were both major factors in the treatment of these hybrids. True loyalty was a one of the few things that he could not compel, sire, blackmail, or purchase. It had to be earned.

No, this was to be Caroline’s visit, not his. If Klaus had any say in the matter, she would be the Queen of New Orleans, ruling by his side, and it appeared the hybrids agreed with him. She was already at ease with their mannerisms, especially for one who professed to have barely any knowledge on the culture. Caroline was genuinely _interested_ in the petty matters of his subjects. She conversed with the adults, talked about the latest music or movie with the teens, and played with the few children that roamed the camp. When it came time for the turning of the three new recruits, she stood by his side as he fed them some of his blood and then snapped their necks, handing each a vial of Katherine’s blood once they woke up. It was a far cry from the last time she had watched him turn a werewolf into a hybrid.

They stayed until dark, continuing with her familiarization with the pack and his continued acceptance. Afterwards they began the trek back to the car, and the long drive home to the manor, a comfortable silence over the pair. Both had more than enough to think about, after all.

-0-0-0-0-0-

It was late that night, and Katherine slipped downstairs. She was feeling off—the nausea had been normal for the past few days—but there was this pain in her shoulder, and it just would not go away, so she went to the kitchen for a glass of water and pain medicine. On her way back to her room she noticed a light down the hall, and headed towards it. As she got closer she recognized the room as Elijah’s office, and assuming it would be alright, cracked open the door. He was poring over books, as usual. Did the man do nothing but work?

“What have I told you about working late?” She smirked, closing the door behind her before moving to occupy a chair. Katherine curled up in it, tucking her robe around her bare legs and feet.

“When have I ever listened to you?” Elijah smiled, laughing at her expression.

“Never. You are horrendously stubborn that way.” The lady pointed out.

“I have always been stubborn, Katerina.” He said. “What are you doing up at this hour?”

Another pain jolted through her arm and shoulder, and she rubbed it, frowning. “My shoulder has been bothering me for hours, so I decided to take something for it. I was on my way back to my room when I saw your light on.” She shrugged. “What are you doing, other than defying my direct orders?” Katherine teased.

Elijah gave her an amused look. “I just finished pulling more spells for Davina to learn. Miss Bennett asked for my opinion on a few.” He stood, pushing his chair back. “However, I believe it is time for us to retire.”

“Careful ‘Lijah; that could be turned into an innuendo far too easily with my _filthy_ brain.” She licked her lips and laughed before standing. When she stood however, a wave of dizziness overtook her, and she grasped onto the chair.

“Katerina, are you alright?” He asked absentmindedly as he stacked a few files.

Katherine swayed on her feet. “No, I do not believe so.” She said, before her eyes rolled back into her head and her legs gave out, sending her straight to the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we start out Part Two of this story with a bang! This chapter is one of my personal favorites composition-wise, since I believe it does a good job of balancing all of the intertwining storylines and ships. Anyone have any guesses on what's going on with Katherine? Next chapter picks up immediately afterwards, so you all will get to see all of it.
> 
> I personally prefer Part Two over Part One; things heat up quickly as battle lines are forged and the family goes to war. It's a...more serious half of the story. Anyways, thank you all for reading and kudoing, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
> 
> -Abi


	14. Part Two: Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: ‘…her eyes rolled back into her head and her legs gave out, sending her straight to the floor.’

Upon hearing her last words, Elijah flashed over to her prone form and attempted to wake the limp woman. “Katerina? Katerina, I insist you wake up.” He received no response. Sighing, he tried a different tactic. “Rebekah! Niklaus!” He shouted a few times. Soon the sounds of doors and footsteps brought his brother and sister to his office, both clearly unhappy at being awoken.

“What the hell is going o— Oof!” Klaus stumbled forward as a half-asleep Caroline collided with his back.

“Sorry!” She squeaked, sidestepping him. “I heard shouting!” Caroline shook herself awake, disheveled. “What’s going on?”

“I was attempting to ask th—” It seemed that Klaus was destined to be eternally interrupted, for at that moment Rebekah noticed Katherine on the floor and rushed over.

“Elijah, what happened?!” His sister asked, kneeling down beside her brother.

“Oh my god, Katherine!” Caroline gasped, taking residence at Rebekah’s side.

“We were talking, and shortly after she stood, she collapsed.” Elijah said, running his eyes over his love’s form, praying that she would wake up.

“Did she complain of anything? What were her symptoms?” Caroline asked frantically, attempting to determine the situation.

“She complained of a pain in her left shoulder and arm. And when she stood she was dizzy.” The eldest Original rattled off.

“Anything else?” The blonde snapped, heart sinking. She had idea of where this was going.

“She told me this morning that she has felt nauseated for the past few days, but I didn’t think anything of it.” Rebekah piped up.

“Call an ambulance.” The youngest vampire said immediately, standing up. The Mikaelsons just looked at her, confused. “She hasn’t just fainted, damn it!” Caroline scanned the room for a phone before noticing Katherine’s on the chair. She snatched it up and started dialing. “Are you three so out-of-touch with humans that you can’t even comprehend the fact that Katherine is most likely dying on the floor!” Elijah paled significantly, and looked from Caroline, to his sister, to Katherine. She was dying, and he had no idea. “Operator?” Caroline paced the room. “My friend just had a heart attack, and now she’s unconscious. How do I know that? She complained of pain in her shoulder and dizziness! No, no chest… Look! I am well-educated on the different heart attack symptoms, and I know exactly what I am talking about! Now can you just get here before my friend dies! Thank you.” She gave the address of the manor, before closing the phone and sitting down, wringing her hands. “They’ll be here soon. All we can do is wait now.”

“How did you know, sweetheart?” Klaus asked, taking a seat by the girl, attempting to comfort her.

“I had nothing to do this summer, so I spent the majority of it reading and, really just talking, to people in the long-term wing at the hospital. I found out about the program from this person my mom works with. Honestly, it wasn’t as boring as it sounds.” She shrugged. “Anyways, I had to take this class, and I learned how to identify heart attacks and strokes and things like that, just in case something happened while I was in the room, you know?”

“And Katherine has all the symptoms?” Klaus questioned. He did not exactly care whether or not Katerina Petrova lived or died, but she was important to Caroline and his siblings. Therefore, he could at least try to be civil about this situation.

“A lot of the usual ones for women.” Caroline nodded, shoulders shaking. Her gaze wandered to her motionless friend, surrounded by Elijah and Rebekah, and tears started to fill her eyes. “H-her time’s running out, isn’t it? I mean, she had like three months at best before we came down here. It’s been half that.”

“I think it might be.” He attempted to be gentle with her emotions, and dared to rub her back. Caroline simply nodded and put her face in her hands, waiting. All they could do was wait.

When the paramedics finally arrived, everything was a blur. The manor lawn was washed in red and blue, the siren cancelling all other noise. A team of EMT’s rushed in the house and up the stairs, the three Mikaelsons and Caroline stood to the side as they loaded the startlingly frail Katherine Pierce onto a stretcher, and fitted her with a breathing apparatus before taking her down the stairs and to the ambulance.

“Does anyone want to ride with her?” One of the paramedics had asked as they all stood out in the dewy lawn. Everyone looked at Caroline, as she was easily the most familiar with modern medical technology, but she shook her head.

“You should go.” She said to Elijah, who blanched. “You were with her when it happened, and you’re the only person she would really even want with her. We’ll be right behind you.” He simply nodded and followed the EMT’s into the ambulance, and they drove off, lights cutting into the darkness.

Not thirty minutes later, Klaus, Rebekah, and Caroline were rushing into the emergency room of the hospital. They had merely stayed at the manor long enough to dress and inform Bonnie—who opted to stay with Hayley—of the situation before leaving. Klaus had known not to argue with two volatile women when they said that he absolutely had to go with them, and they had all piled into his car. Upon arrival they found Elijah pacing the busy waiting room, looking extraordinarily disheveled. Then again, he was simply missing his suit jacket and his tie was loosened, but that counted as unkempt for him.

“Any news?” Rebekah had asked, practically falling into a seat.

“None.” He said. Turning to Caroline, he asked “How long do these things normally take?”

She rolled her eyes. “You three really have no idea on the matters of humans, do you?”

“Well we haven’t exactly had reason to visit the hospital in the past thousand years, now have we?” Klaus retorted.

“I just thought _one_ of you would have like…grown bored or something and taken a real job. With people.” Rebekah gave her a distasteful look. “Whatever.” Caroline huffed at the elitism. “Anyways, sometimes this can take hours, sometimes it’s just a few minutes. It all really depends, I guess.”

“Hours?” Rebekah groaned. “But these people are sick… That man over there looks like he’s dying, for god’s sake!”

“Yeah, but there’s also high risk people like Katherine—not to mention everyone already staying here—that need the attention of the doctors first.” Caroline shrugged, running a hand through her hair. “It’s just how it works. The system kind of sucks, but they’re doing all they can, okay? Some of these people work twenty-four hour shifts, and trust me with the fact that they’re going to do their jobs.”

“You care about them. All of them.” Klaus noticed, really for the first time.

“Of course I do.” She said, as if it were obvious.

“But they’re just people. They live short, insignificant, lives. Why care about someone who has only a few decades left?” Klaus was genuinely interested as to what she would say. He had given up on caring for the human race centuries ago; he truly did not give a damn anymore.

“Yes. They’re people. And they do live short lives compared to us.” Caroline agreed. “But it is _because_ they have such a short lifetime that they are precious.” She sighed. “I mean… I’m not saying that we should all go on the bunny diet and be vegan vampires or anything. And I get that we’re a form of population control. Just… About a year ago I was one of these insignificant little human beings, meandering about my life with no idea of how scary the world actually was.” Caroline leaned back in the chair, arching an eyebrow. “I don’t want to hurt those that have such limited time on the earth, you know? Maybe that will change in a thousand years or so, but it’s how I see the world right now.” Klaus simply nodded, not really agreeing with her, but understanding, and everyone fell into silence.

About an hour later, they were all getting antsy. Rebekah had long ago started compelling information out of the nurses, but other than one little time when they discovered Katherine was with a team of doctors, they had received nothing. Elijah had not ceased his pacing since they arrived; every time one of the group attempted to get him to sit down, he simply shook them off and continued with his restlessness. Caroline spent her time texting Bonnie, who went looking in some of the grimoires she had packed for a spell that could even just slow down Katherine’s condition. Klaus had gone to sleep, Caroline’s feet propped in his lap.

“Mikaelson?” A man asked, causing all four people to look at the new person--Klaus albeit grumpily awoken. It was a young doctor clutching a clipboard.

“Yes?” Elijah finally stopped his pacing.

“I’m here about Katherine Pierce.” He said.

“And? How is she?” Caroline swung her feet onto the floor.

“She has been stabilized, but is still currently unconscious. We’ve moved her to a room and will be keeping her overnight, but as we cannot determine the cause of her heart failure, we will be placing her on a strict regimen of medication and sending her home in the morning--assuming she wakes up, of course.” The doctor continued. “Unfortunately visiting hours are over, and as none of you are fam—”

Elijah walked to the doctor and compelled, “You gladly will take us to the room housing Katherine Pierce immediately and you will not question us. The number of people will not be a problem.” The doctor repeated the words back, and with a smile on his face, asked for the group to follow him.

Whomever said hospitals were not a daunting place had clearly never been in one. With its blank tangle of hallways and the stench of bleach and sterilization permeating the air—not to mention the coppery smell of blood mixed within—this place was like hell on earth for the group of vampires. As they walked past the rooms, their heightened hearing picked up the whimpers and moans of pain, the incessant whirring of machines, and the cries of newborn babies. Life began and ended in such a building. What a circle of life.

Finally the young doctor stopped at a room, and a card with the K. Pierce rested in the slot.

Elijah was the first to enter, and it was a shocking sight for the Mikaelsons. Other than the few times that Klaus had taken blood from Elena—and that had all been set up by a compelled nurse, because he was utterly clueless on the subject—the three were basically ignorant when it came to the petty customs of humans. It was to be expected after all. They had grown up in a raw and hard time, and lived in the lap of luxury while the world changed around them. They fit in well with the humans, yes. But things like this—mundane things people would just accept as a part of life—were not relevant to their elevated status. So, the sight of a person they all had seen awake and...smirking merely hours before, now pale and motionless, hooked up to a bunch of machines in a terrible looking gown, was a shocking sight. Katherine’s situation was now made more real to all present.

After standing around in an awkward silence for a few minutes—Elijah had taken residence in the chair right beside the bed, Rebekah and Caroline sitting in the farther ones—Klaus broke it. “Considering it is almost four in the morning and I have had roughly two hours of sleep, I am going to go find some tea or coffee or whatever they offer in these types of places to wake me up. Does anyone want anything, or will this be a purely selfish venture?”

“Can you bring me back a cup of coffee? Extra sugar, if they have it, please.” Caroline asked, meeting his eyes, receiving a nod and smile in response.

“Sure, Nik. You know how I like mine.” Rebekah nodded.

“Brother?” Klaus asked, but received no answer, his brother focused on the occupant of the bed. He shrugged, nodded to the ladies, and left in search of the magic liquid they call coffee.

About ten minutes after Klaus left the room, Katherine stirred for a moment, calmed down, and then opened her eyes. Slowly becoming more aware, she laid there for a moment, studying the unfamiliar ceiling above. She certainly wasn’t at the manor anymore. Looking around, the first thing she saw was an _extremely_ rumpled Elijah sitting next to her bedside, chin resting on his folded hands as he stared at a random spot on her bed.

“Elijah?” She croaked, internally wincing at how terrible she sounded. Hopefully that was temporary.

“Katerina?” He shot up, moving to kneel at her bedside. Elijah handed her a glass of water which she sipped and handed back. On the other side of the room, Caroline and Rebekah ceased their whispered conversation and paid attention to their companions.

“Where the hell am I? And what happened?” Katherine feebly attempted to sit up, but he signaled for her to stay laying down with a brief but firm touch on her forearm. “We were talking, and… I don’t remember anything else.”

“You are at the hospital.” He explained gently, his eyes filled with pain and worry. “Katerina, you collapsed and fell unconscious after you stood up. Caroline recognized your symptoms as cardiac arrest, and we rushed you here.”

She grasped his hand and squeezed lightly. Katherine could see the distress he had been in. The last time he looked this terrible was when they had received word of Kol’s death. “How long was I out?”

“A few hours. Nothing more.” She nodded weakly.

“I want to go back to the manor.” Katherine whispered.

“Katerina, they will release you tomorrow morning. You should stay here.” Elijah cautioned, seeing where this was going.

“And I don’t want to stay here overnight. The sheets are scratchy and whatever they’ve got me plugged into hurts and this _thing_ I’m wearing is a disgrace to clothing everywhere. I want to go back to the manor.” The brunette whined, getting a snicker from Caroline. She was clearly still herself.

“Katerina, if I must, I will make you stay here by any means necessary.”

“Elijah, if you try that, I’ll rip this tube thingy out of my arm and have Team Goldilocks carry me out.” Her threat—as the woman was currently extremely pale and fighting to stay awake—was borderline ridiculous. However, she was someone who was known to go through with her threats, no matter how absurd.

“I am supposed to expect my sister to willingly help you walk out of here mere hours after having a heart attack because you dislike it and I wish for you to stay?” Elijah asked, though mainly directing his question at his sister.

“Chicks before dicks, brother. Chicks before dicks.” Rebekah managed to keep a completely straight face, though Caroline brought into peals of giggles.

“I can’t believe you actually said that!” The latter laughed. “And to _him_!”

“I’ve been dying to for _days_.” Rebekah joined in the giggles

Katherine looked over at the two laughing blondes and sighed indignantly. “How I put up with those two, I will never know.” She croaked, turning to Elijah. “Now that you’re completely outnumbered, and the fact that I am leaving this horrendous place one way or another has been established, can you please call a nurse to discharge me?” She smiled sweetly before motioning for more water, which she was quickly given.

“You are being ridiculous, Katerina.” Elijah reprimanded, only half-meaning it.

“I know.” She attempted to smirk. “But you said they were going to release me in the morning anyways. Technically it’s the morning somewhere in the world.”

The Original sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before giving in. “You will be on _complete_ bedrest. And I do mean complete.”

Katherine rolled her eyes. That did not sound pleasant at all. “Fine.”

“And you will adhere to the dietary and medication outlines they give us down to the letter.”

“Alright…” She sighed. There goes the fun food. Wait… “But chocolate-covered strawberries!” If anyone could sound irritated about the thought of not being able to eat her favorite food roughly three hours after she had a heart attack, it would be Katherine Pierce. She may be feeble, but she was fierce.

“You’ve already agreed, dear. If it’s not in the plan, then it is not allowed.” He smirked.

“Damn you.” The human pouted.

-0-0-0-0-0-

It had been three days since Katherine was whisked home from the hospital, and she was miserable. Bedrest was driving her crazy, and therefore everyone else. It could never be said that Katherine Pierce was not a proponent for the ‘if I go down, I’m dragging you with me’ concept. It turned out that a heart attack surviving and completely bedridden Katherine was _almost_ as needy as Hayley the pregnant wolf was, so that was another thing for the household to deal with.

Thankfully Rebekah and Caroline had stepped up and either spent most of their days sitting with Katherine, or assisting Bonnie—and her invisible-helping-fairy Kol—in their search for the correct grimoire that held the counter-spell to the cure. Bonnie remembered having it at one point, so after calling Elena and having her, Damon, Stefan, and Jeremy box up her huge collection of grimoires—both the Bennett and Martin collections were included, which made for a very large pile of books—and ship them all to New Orleans, they were currently in the process of looking for the one spell that she thought was the correct one. Needless to say, it was a tedious and time-consuming process, the latter of which they were running out of. Davina was ready to do the spell; both Bonnie and Kol were sure of it. After a month or so under their combined tutelage, she was determined and ready to tackle whatever they gave her. It was just getting the spell to the witch in the first place that was the issue.

Caroline walked up the stairs with a tray for Katherine’s lunch, hoping she would be awake and they could talk for a bit. It was just her, Elijah, and Katherine in the house: Klaus was having one of his ‘I’m pretending to enjoy your company so I can take over your kingdom’ meetings with Marcel after an all-morning combat training session with the hybrid pack; Rebekah was taking Hayley to another doctor’s appointment, and judging by the look on Rebekah’s face, her Original friend would be heading to the fro-yo place for a sugar high as soon as she dropped the werewolf off; and Bonnie had gone to Davina’s to see if the girl had done her homework or whatever… Something about another spell.

Nudging open Katherine’s door with her hip, she turned around to see the brunette in a fitful dream, thrashing about, sheets tangled. Setting the tray down on the dresser, she moved to the side of the bed, shaking Katherine, but she would not come out of it. Attempting this a couple more times, Caroline sighed and called for Elijah. When he appeared in the doorway a few seconds later, she stepped to the side.

“She was like this when I came in. I’ve tried to wake her up but it just didn’t work!” Caroline said.

“I will handle this, Caroline. Thank you.” Elijah said, gently directing the blonde towards the door. She sighed, gave up, and handed the reigns over to him.

Elijah turned to the still-dreaming Katherine and shook her gently, before whispering, “Катерина, трябва да се събуди.” (Katerina, you must wake up). She calmed almost instantly at his words, though Elijah could still see the worry and anguish etched on her face. When he shook her this time, her eyes opened and she sat up, blinking sluggishly. “Was it…” He trailed off, pulling up a chair as he spoke.

“Yes.” Katherine said simply, fixing her blankets.

“I see.”

She rolled her eyes yawning. “Oh, for god’s sake stop with the pity party. It was too long ago to feel sorry about now. I want to feel happy in the midst of my current situation.”

“And how do you propose we accomplish that?” Elijah asked, wary of that particular glint in her eye It always signaled mischief.

“Show me a childhood memory or two or yours!” Katherine smiled, still very weak after her hospital visit.

“Katerina…”

She smirked and bit her lip. “Oh come on. I’ll show you mine if you show me yours...” The pretty doppelganger enticed.

“What brought this sudden desire of yours on?” Elijah reclined in his chair, crossing his legs.

Katherine rolled over so she was laying on her side, one hand propping up her head while the other lay across her stomach. “We’ve done this before, you know. Don’t be so pouty at the prospect.”

“Yes…” He thought back the various times he had let her into a memory of his and vice versa. They were not exactly PG-rated moments, one could say.

“Okay then.” She shifted slightly. “I want to see how utterly adorable and mischievous you were as a kid because—let’s face it—you weren’t born with the suit on.” Katherine laughed as he shook his head, eyebrow arched at her antics. “And in return you get to see little tiny me, thoroughly corrupting her younger siblings by teaching them to sneak desserts before dinner and how to avoid our _evil_ tutor.”

“You are ridiculous, Katerina.” The corners of his mouth rose in a half-smile. “However, I will give in this time. Merely because I want to see how utterly terrible you were at becoming a proper lady.”

“I was a fabulously proper lady.” She insisted. He gave her an amused look, causing her to roll her eyes. “In my own way.” She sat up and scooted over, patting the spot beside her. “Well, you can’t get into my head from there, now can you?” Katherine asked impatiently. “I’m bored and this will be fun, so let’s get to it!”

Elijah stood and toed off his shoes before he divested himself of his jacket. Getting rid of the tie, he dropped the unnecessary garments on the chair before sliding in beside the unwillingly weak woman. He could see how much her condition was affecting her mentally. Even in 1492 she was strong and fierce. His Katerina had always had a fire about her--the Petrova fire, as she called it. She shared this attribute with Tatia. But Katerina… She had a grace about her that the Tatia never possessed. Katerina was elegant like a lady should be, yet wild and free. She was a breath of fresh air to him. He loved her tender sides; that much would always be true. Yet, the darker parts of his being demanded for her other sides. Elijah’s wrathful side yearned for the dark angel that styled herself as Katherine Pierce. It was why they were marvelous together. His entire person called out to the whole Katerina: both the sweet girl and the poised woman.

Now, it was as if she attempting to be that person, and simply could not reach her goal. Katerina hid her struggles very well, but not to him. Never to him. He knew every emotion on her face, every moment of her body language, as if it was his own, and he knew she was the same with him. “Are you up for this, Katerina?” Elijah studied her.

She nodded. “Yes, I am. I need a bit of fun in my all-too-boring life, after all. Bedrest annoys me.” Katherine pouted. “I’ll just nap after this, and that’ll solve any tiredness problems.”

Agreeing with her judgment—for she knew her body better than any other—he gave her a short nod before scooting over. Elijah touched her temples and Katherine’s eyes fluttered closed at the contact. Thinking of the particular memory he wanted to give her, he closed his eyes, and projected the scene he wanted to give her.

_Elijah traipsed through the woods near his home, a train of siblings trailing behind. Mother was at the birthing time, and Ayanna had shoved him and the rest out the door, telling them to stay away. Feeling a tug on his shirt, he looked down at his little sister: she was nearing four winters old, constantly tripped over her dresses, and was always asking for flowers in her hair._

_“Yes Bekah?” The twelve-year old asked. She simply raised her arms in response, whimpering. “No. Father says you’re a big girl now and should walk.” The little girl just pouted and stomped her foot before sidling up to Niklaus._

_“Why did we have to leave again?” Kol complained. He threw a nut at Bekah but missed, which caused her to stick her tongue out at him._

_“Didn’t you hear Ayanna?” Finn said loftily. “Between yours and Niklaus’s fighting and Bekah’s whining, we were too loud. It’s your fault we are out here.”_

_“Silence, Finn.” Elijah reprimanded. “You are not in charge.”_

_“Yes, because you always are.” His eleven-summers old brother complained._

_The eldest child rolled his eyes. It was time to put an end to this and figure out what to do. Unfortunately, when he stopped in the path, his family did not realize quickly enough and ran into each other. Niklaus and Kol ran into Finn, and Bekah—who was still holding Niklaus’s hand—ran into Kol, who then shoved her to the ground, causing the little girl to start crying._

_“Kol!” Niklaus sighed. “Mother said not to push Bekah.”_

_“Bekah ran into me.” The little imp grinned wickedly. “She deserved it.”_

_“She’s a girl. Of course she doesn’t.” Niklaus shot back._

_“Well if she’s such a baby, then she should be with the girls. Back home. Not with us boys.” Kol crossed his arms._

_“I not a baby!” Bekah wailed, her head full of wispy curls. She then saw that her hand was covered in dirt, causing her to sob again. Elijah sighed, picked her up, and brushed his little sister off. She stopped her crying immediately._

_“What are we even doing?” Finn asked from his spot on a rock. “I’m bored.”_

_Elijah looked around at his fighting mess of siblings. “We… We’re all going to go berry-picking. That’s what we will do.” Instantly he was met with smiles and agreement from everyone but Finn, who was sullen. Then again, Finn was always miserable when not in Mother’s company._

_The rest of the day was spent gorging themselves on fruit, and when the little group arrived back at the village, they were met with the sight of a new baby brother named Henrik._

Shaking herself loose of the little scene, Katherine turned to look at the man she had just seen as a twelve year old. “So a happy memory consisted of your siblings bickering and Rebekah crying? Charming.”

The man sighed. “I never explicitly stated that it was to be a _happy_ memory. Though I suppose it was, for Henrik was born.” His eyes saddened at the remembrance of the lost little brother. “Instead it was a…realistic one. In a house with that many children, arguments do tend to break out.”

“I’m aware.” She intoned. “You were a cute kid, though. Needed a haircut, and your voice was a bit squeaky, but I imagine you at least had a few girls interested.” Katherine teased, nudging him with her shoulder.

“How that fills me with joy.” Elijah deadpanned, well aware of her games.

“Shhh.” The lady placed her finger on his lips, effectively silencing him. “It’s my turn now.” They reassumed their previous position, and she summoned her chosen memory.

_“Mama, Mama!” A little girl of about five rushed into the sizable home, shrieking at the top of her lungs. “Mama, Papa is home!”_

_“Papa is home?” An older girl came down the stairs. She was wearing a well-made yellow dress, and her dark curly hair was wild and free. “Are you fibbing again Anka, or is he really home this time?”_

_“Katerina…” The young child rolled her eyes. “Papa is with the horses.”_

_Her whole countenance lit up. “Then go tell Mama, and I will greet him!” She giggled, rushing past her sister. Picking up the hem of her dress, Katerina nearly flew out the door and to the stables. “Papa!” She smiled brightly, dipping into a brief curtsey before rushing to hug her father. “You have arrived a week early!”_

_“So I have, малка птичка (little bird)!” He laughed. “And have you been good for your Mama?”_

_“I am always good.” Katerina gave an all-too innocent look. “Boris and Andrei have been little devils as usual,” She tattled as they walked back to the home “But when they became too terrible, Mama had Uncle Danail put them in place. Olga lost a tooth, and Anka has been learning to read. I believe that is all that you have missed.” The young girl smiled. “Oh, Mama let me carry Baby Hristo into the garden yesterday! I had to stop him from eating an insect!”_

_“I see you have been very busy while I was away!” Her father said endearingly._

_“Yes we have, Papa. You were gone for nearly two months. That is too long.” The little lady said matter-of-factly._

_“I agree with you, Katerina.” She looked up to see her mother gliding down the stairs. “Two months is much too long to be away from your many children.” Her mother fixed her father with a look._

_“Mama?” The adults in the room snapped out of their conversation and back to the child in the room. “May I play with Evangeliya? She invited me this morning while I was in the village.”_

_Her mother sighed. “Very well, but take your brothers with you.”_

_“But Mama!”_

_“No protests, Katerina! You will take your brothers with you to Evangeliya’s, or you will not go at all.”_

_Pouting, the brunette stomped up the stairs and to the nursery. On her next birthday she would receive her own bedroom, and finally be out of where the children slept. “Boris? Andrei?” Her identical little brothers popped up from some random corner. The three shared the same wild hair and impish smiles. “I am going to Evangeliya’s and Mama says you both must come.”_

_“But I do not want to go see Evangeliya.” Boris pouted. “She is boring.”_

_“She said this morning Viktor would be coming to play as well.” Katerina coaxed._

_“Fine. We shall go.” The other twin answered. “Viktor is not boring like all the girls. Especially Lidiya. All she does is follow me around while I am trying to play.”_

_“Careful, Andrei.” Their older sister smirked as they traipsed down the stairs and outside. “There is talk of a match between you and Lidiya. I would be more polite to her.” There, of course, was no talk of a match, for the parties involved were seven and nine. However, Katerina dearly loved to tease, and the expression on her brother’s face was worth the little lie._

“How many siblings did you have?” Elijah asked as her memory concluded.

She pondered for a moment. “I was the eldest of eight. It was I, Borislav, Andrei, Olga, Anka, Hristo, Teodor, and Yuliya. I do not believe my mother had any more children after I left home.”

“And Teodor and Yuliya were the ones who…”

“Yes.” Katherine cut him off. “They perished before.” She did not like to think of her little brother and sister who died as mere children. Not many things had stayed in her mind after five hundred and thirty-eight years of memories, but the days her littlest siblings died were certainly two of them. Young children perishing was not an uncommon thing in her time: if a child made it to eight, the family was considered blessed. This did not make the loss hurt any less.

“Were you and your father close?” The man beside her asked.

“We were.” Katherine sighed. If anyone else asked her questions such as this, they would have been dead long before now. But for some reason, she found it incredibly difficult to deny him anything. “I was the apple of his eye, and I knew it. He spent more time with my brothers—simply because I did not stand to inherit and they did—but I was the child he loved best.” She smiled fondly, remembering times gone by. “I suspect that he blamed himself for my…indiscretions, in the end. I was allowed to join in lessons with my brothers, you see. I was educated far too much for any girl of that day and age. My thoughts went unchecked, and as I grew into my marriageable years, I rebelled against convention.”

A soft chuckle rolled from the chest of Elijah. “You would use your superior education against the system, Katerina. Only you.”

“Oh, silence.” She smacked his shoulder, not that her hit was even hard whatsoever. “I did not want to be married off to some old pig in order to gain money and land for my family, so I took matters into my own hands. Sue me.”

They continued in this vein of conversation for many hours, trading anecdotes until the afternoon faded into the evening. Katherine eventually became exhausted—for though she put up a marvelous front, she was still very weak—and fell asleep while Elijah talked to her, his fingers running through her mess of curls all the while. What little time they had left, he would spend making up for every disastrous moment they had wasted. If his Katerina was to leave him behind upon this earth—and that would be a terrible day, for there was no world for Elijah if she was not walking it as well—then she would leave happily and peacefully. He would send her off full of love, before spending the rest of his existence attempting to find a way to bring her back. And, well, he was an immortal being. The rest of his existence was a very long time.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Across the city, a young man stared up into the light of the moon. He was of the type that many would call troubled, and they would be right. He _was_ troubled. His entire world had been taken away from him by the man thousands feared, and the girl he loved had crossed sides willingly. There was nothing left for him now. To assist this King of New Orleans in making life hell for Klaus and his family was all that his life held purpose for. Everything else meant nothing. Revenge was what he needed; revenge was what he craved.

Pulling his phone out of his jacket pocket, the dark-haired man scrolled until he found the one person who would give him what he desired most in the world. “Marcel? I’ve made my decision. The plan goes in action tomorrow. I know where the target will be.” With that, Tyler Lockwood snapped his phone shut. Tomorrow, vengeance would be his. Tomorrow, Klaus Mikaelson would be brought to his knees. Damn the consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I apologize for the ridiculous amount of time it has taken to update--I've been settling into college, and adjusting to classes. Anyways, I'm getting chps 15 and 16 up tonight, so watch out for those, okay? 
> 
> Again, I'm so sorry, and thank you all for reading and kudoing!  
> -Abi


	15. Part Two: Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: ‘…Tomorrow, vengeance would be his. Tomorrow, Klaus Mikaelson would be brought to his knees. Damn the consequences.’

“Knock knock!” A happy voice called from beyond his studio/office door.

“I know it is you, sweetheart! How many times have I told you to simply come on in?” Klaus joked.

One could practically hear the righteous indignation from beyond the door. “You,” The blonde on the other side pushed into the room “Need to lighten up. Playing along won’t kill you, you know.”

“But then I would not get to see you all riled up. And you know I enjoy that sight.” He shot back, causing her to give him an unamused look.

“Whatever.” Caroline was festively dressed in a pretty green and white dress with a red headband. “I’m leaving for the day. I need to get my hair redone, and then I have plans to grab lunch with Susan on the outskirts of the city; she’s going to give me a crash course on all things werewolf. After that we’ll be heading back to the campsite and I had a few activities planned for the kids in the pack. It is Christmas Eve after all. So like… Don’t expect me back until late.” Crossing her arms, the vampire leaned against the door.

“I appreciate your notification.” The hybrid smirked.

“Yes, well, I figured I should tell someone since I’ll be gone all day, and they’re your pack of hybrids.” She rolled her eyes.

“ _Our_ pack, love. At least according to them.” Klaus teased again, trying to rile her up. God, he loved it when she was spitting fire with that sharp tongue, stabbing him with her eyes. She was magnificent when angry.

Caroline huffed, moving back towards the door. “No matter what the pack seems to think, they are still yours. Now, I’m running late. I’ll be back tonight!”

“Goodbye, Caroline!” Klaus shouted after her fading footsteps, turning back to his sketching.

Unfortunately, Caroline would never make it to her hair appointment. After parking her car in the parking garage across the street from the salon, she turned back to make sure her door handles were locked; it was an old habit her mother had instilled in her. This left her back exposed, and with the overwhelming noise of the city, she did not hear her assailants until they were upon her. Dropping her oversized purse to the ground, back up against the car, she ducked the first few punches the two men threw at her, and managed to break one’s leg. Caroline missed the needle heading towards her arm, however, and one pinprick later, she was unconscious. She would be shoved into a non-descript vehicle and taken to a familiar place where hell awaited her.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Rebekah sighed. She had been calling for Nik to just answer his damn phone already, but no… He had to sketch or paint or whatever the hell he was doing instead. Bloody brilliant. Grabbing the incessantly ringing thing, she answered it. “Klaus’s phone. No, this is his sister. Wait… What?” She stood up, shocked at what she was hearing. This chick had to be lying. “Susan, was it? I’ll pass on the message.” Ending the call and flashing up the stairs, the female Original burst into her brother’s studio. He looked up at her angrily, but she didn’t give a flying fuck if her presence was destroying his muse. “That was Susan on the phone. Caroline never showed up for lunch.”

That certainly got his attention. “What did you just say?” Klaus turned around swiftly.

Her brother could be such an idiot. “Susan said Caroline never showed up for their little lunch soiree, which apparently was supposed to be two hours ago. She’s worried something might have happened.”

He moved into action, packing up his art things, mind automatically going to the worst. “Get Elijah into headquarters. She is not the type to just disappear, and we might not have time to waste.”

Rebekah nodded, seeing the whirring of her brother’s brain, and complied.  She did not like to listen to him often, that much was true. When it came to Caroline, however, she knew better than to challenge her brother. The baby vampire was a weakness you simply did not mess with. Fishing for her phone, she called Bonnie, but the little former witch didn’t answer. What was with people and not answering their damn phones? Trying a couple more times, the Original gave up. Bonnie would find out eventually, and the service in that old church was terrible, anyways. At least she tried.

“So, where was she going, again?” Katherine asked from the chair Elijah had brought in for her. On hearing what happened, she simply refused to stay upstairs and not be a part of the conference.

“She wanted to get her hair done. The only thing we know is that she did not make it to lunch with Susan. There are literally thousands of places something could have gone wrong.” Klaus ran a hand through his hair. Normally one to keep calm, he was starting to panic. If someone dared to hurt a hair on her head, blood would spill.

“Do we know which salon she went to?” Elijah jumped in. “We could call or go to the place itself and see if she even made it there. Retrace her route.”

“Caroline has a calendar in her room, and she literally marks everything on it.” Katherine pointed out. “The name is probably on there. If not, grab me her computer.” She got some weird looks for that one, but Rebekah grabbed the hot pink laptop bag when the calendar refused to yield any useful information. Firing the thing up, the invalid grabbed a notepad from the desk beside her, and started writing things down.

“What are you doing?” Klaus sniped. It had been a few minutes of Katherine alternating between typing and writing, and he was getting impatient. “I see no results being produced from your scribblings.”

“These scribblings,” The brunette deadpanned, looking very serious and business-like in her yoga pants, tank-top, and messy bun “Are my attempts to hack her password. Which I just accomplished.” She smirked, tapping away at the keyboard. “Now all that’s left to do is check her history and I should be able to… Caroline, you dirty minx.” Katherine gasped, drawing confused and interested expressions. Looking up, she made an ‘ignore me’ face. “This is why you don’t look through people’s internet histories, right here.”

“Have you found anything yet?” The Original Hybrid leaned against the bookshelf, itching to get out of the house.

“I’m checking her phone records right now… Thank God for auto-fill passwords.” Katherine bit her lip as she scanned. “I think I got the number.” Grabbing her phone and quickly dialing the number on the screen, she waited for the number to pick up. “Hello? Look, I just need to know if a Caroline Forbes ever came to her appointment this morning. I’m her…sister, you see, and she hasn’t been in contact with anyone for a few hours. We’re just getting worried. Yes, I would appreciate you checking your records.” At the answer she received, the still-frail woman gulped. “She never made it? And she did not call to reschedule, correct? That’s not what I wanted to hear. Okay. Bye now!”

“Well, now we have a place to start.” Rebekah muttered.

“That’s it.” Klaus stood, done with this useless sitting. “I’m going to search the roads. Bekah, you’re coming with me. Elijah… Stay here. Maybe she will come back.”

“I’m going to track down her phone via its GPS signal.” Katherine looked up at the exiting pair. “I can’t guarantee that it will be with her, but at least it’ll be where she was last at.”

Rebekah nodded in agreement, for Klaus had already exited. “Call me when you have a location, and we’ll head there.” She turned to Elijah. “If we need backup, I’ll call. In the meantime, keep Computer Geek over there from over-working herself.”

“I prefer the term Hacker, thank you very much!” Katherine shouted, not looking up. By now she had transferred herself to a plush rolling chair, and moved to the table where she could spread her papers out. Elijah pulled a chair next to the recovering woman who was in an unstoppable mode.

“I would like to know how you even became acquainted with such a depth of technological knowledge, Katerina.” He said.

“I ran a ring of white-collar con-men around the turn of the century. Computer hacking was my specialty. Eventually I got bored and faked my death, but it was fun for a decade or so.” She shrugged, entirely apathetic to the facts she had just spouted. For a moment, Katherine sounded like her old self.

“Life with you is never boring, is it?” Elijah already knew the answer to his question, of course.

“If it was, then there would be no fun in living, now would there be?” She laughed.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Unbeknownst to everyone, Bonnie was not with Davina; she had left the witch’s residence over three hours ago. Instead, she and Kol were walking together along the banks of a secluded pond, away from the supernatural hearing and constant movement of the manor. The most surprising thing about her trip to New Orleans was not that Katherine actually seemed to have a heart, or where her best friend seemed to be half in love with Klaus. Yeah, _that_ Klaus. No, it was her…relationship, for the lack of a better word, with Kol.

Bonnie would be the last to deny that she found him attractive. Hell, any woman with eyes could find him drop-dead sexy--not that she would ever tell him. Instead it was the heart she had discovered underneath the layers of sarcastic ass, which drew her to him. It was the flagrant disagreement with all rules which he seemed to harbor. It was the fact that he was dead, and she was half-dead, but he made her forget it constantly. And he seemed to be the same way in regards to her. Bonnie was not like in love with him or anything. They weren’t of that type of people who wished for confessions of devotion. Yet, she and Kol were not just friends, either. They were…different. For some reason, that seemed to be okay.

“So, are you going to tell me what’s on your mind, or do I need to pry it out of you.” Kol suddenly said. Unfortunately, he was accurate in the assumption that she had something on her mind. She did, and if she could manage to make it work, then this would change everything.

Sighing heavily, she gestured for them to stop. “I learned something the other day. From my Grams.” At his questioning look, she continued. “I… I may have found a way to bring you back to life.”

“E-excuse me?” To say he was shocked would be an understatement. Kol had just gotten used to this whole talking-through-Bonnie thing, and it was nice to be able to speak to someone again, but to come back to life? That was astronomical. “May I ask how?”

Crossing her arms and rubbing them slightly, Bonnie began to explain. “I’m the Anchor. I have a foot in both the land of the living and the land of the dead. And I may not be a witch anymore, but my living part is still able to channel power.”

“As we are aware. It’s how you’ve been helping Davina.” The young man interjected.

“Anyways, my…dead half, for the lack of a better term, has access to the power of my bloodline, in its entirety.” She said.

Kol whistled, impressed. It was an uncommonly known fact that when a witch or warlock died, the accumulated magic they had access to went into a…metaphorical well, dedicated to their family line. As the Bennett’s were one of the most powerful witch lines in history—they held Qetsiyah and Ayanna’s magic in their line, for god’s sake, not to mention how many more witches and warlocks had contributed to the line over the past two thousand years—Bonnie having access to that well of magic was astronomical. He arched an eyebrow, wondering where this was going. “But what can you do with it? I’m fairly sure you can’t just suddenly wish it into me, and poof! I’m a member of the living undead once more.”

“Well, that’s where it gets complicated.” The lady acquiesced. “I can’t create the situation needed to bring you back and start popping out spells. Not anymore, at least.” She grumbled. “What I need is an event charged up on blood sacrifice and power. From there I can add my bloodline’s power into the mix with a few carefully edited spells that another witch would perform, and it would work then.” Bonnie gave him a pointed look.

Suddenly, her meaning dawned on him. “You mean to use the Harvest Ritual.” Kol didn’t even need to see her affirming expression. He knew he was right.

“The magic of the Harvest itself is not enough to bring you back. You’re too old and powerful. Instead, I’ll add the Bennett power to that magic, and with it all combined I can bring both you and all four girls back. I’m sure of it.” She stated confidently. Unfortunately, Bonnie only had one chance to get this right. If she messed up even a tiny bit, all would be lost.

“And if you fail?” He countered.

“I won’t.” She shot back.

“You might. And then you would have the blood of your little protégé on your hands. Even I don’t think you can live with that guilt for the rest of eternity.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I won’t be screwing this up, isn’t it?” Bonnie gave him a sarcastic smile before walking on.

Kol ran a hand through his hair. “Come now, Bunny, don’t be irritated with me! I’m simply being the practical one.” He hurried to catch up, overtaking her easily. Unfortunately when he got there, she smacked him hard on the back of the head. “Fuck!” He rubbed the sore spot. “What was that for, damn it?”

“That was for calling me Bunny for the sixty-ninth time. Do it again and I’ll find some way to give you an aneurysm.” Bonnie glared.

“Sixty-ninth, darling? Now that you mention it, I’m game…” Kol winked and wiggled his eyebrows.

“You,” The anchor spat “Are a pervy jackass.”

“But I’m _your_ jackass.” He retorted, riling her up. “You’re stuck with me, Bunny dear.”

“You aren’t my anything.” The brown-skinned beauty pointed at him sternly. “Except for maybe my stalker ghost friend who talks constantly.” She gave him a sarcastic smile.

“Be careful, darling. You might wound me.” The Original made as if clutching his heart, wincing dramatically.

Bonnie scoffed. “The only thing I’m wounding is your overblown ego.” She rolled her eyes but suppressed a smile when Kol wrapped an arm around her shoulders and started heading them back to the other side of the pond, where the car she had borrowed from his family was parked. It was times like these where she forgot he was even dead.

“You know, doll, I think I’ll keep you around for a bit longer.” Kol gave her one of those heart-stopping looks. “You happen to be the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”

“You spent a century desiccated in a box. I think your perceptions of fun are a bit skewed.” The anchor laughed. “But since you’re so lonely over there on the Other Side, I’ll continue to be a nice person and chat with you. Out of pity, and all.” This time it was Bonnie’s turn to smirk while her companion glowered.

“You are quite lucky that I enjoy pretty little things with sharp tongues, Bunny. Otherw—”

“Otherwise, what?” The lady interjected. “You’ll kill me? That’s already been done. You just have to content yourself with my exasperating company, I suppose. Besides, you’re dead.”

“Then I guess you’ll just have to bring me back to life, now won’t you?” Kol raised an eyebrow. He knew she would understand his meaning. He would do it her way, and trust she knew what she was doing. “I need my threats to be valid, after all.”

“I guess I will.” Bonnie nodded. She had won this round. Now it was just time to actually get her plans to work. That would be the hard part. “But we’re going to keep this between us. I don’t want anyone else to know until the details are in place, and we know I can actually channel that much power.” She skeptically looked over her ghostly friend. “Deal?”

“I am a man of my word, darling. It’s a deal.”

-0-0-0-0-0-

It had been two hours since Klaus and Rebekah had left the manor, and they were getting antsy. Well, Klaus in particular was about to lose his shit. It had been over four hours since Caroline was discovered to be missing, and six since her last known location, which had been when she was talking to him. He and his sister had scoured every possible route she could have taken from the manor to the city, and were currently trekking through the woods. The forest was the most logical place for her to have been taken or injured in; the city was crowded and people would have stopped to help a young lady in distress. Hopefully.

Rebekah was talking about bringing in the human authorities, though he was resisting her. Klaus was no fool; there was really one possible person who had the gall to kidnap Caroline. Their original contrived story where Caroline was presented as a close friend of Rebekah’s shattered the moment Lockwood appeared in town. Now that the upstart was working with Marcellus, the amount of information which had possibly been fed to his adversary was unfathomable. This situation is exactly why he never gave any of his minions’ vital information. They would inevitably turn upon him, mess up all his carefully-laid plans, and do something stupid. Imbeciles. No, he was almost positive Marcel or on of his minions had taken Caroline. It was just where they had taken her, which was the issue. Bringing her back to the Abattoir would be stupid and obvious. If his former protégé ever learned anything from him, it was to think outside the box.

The incessant shrilling of his sister’s phone snapped the hybrid out of his reverie, and back into present day. “Katherine?” Rebekah asked. So that was who was on the other line. The most annoying doppelganger of them all. “Well it certainly took bloody long enough! So you mean to tell me I’ve been traipsing in the woods for two hours and her phone is in the damn city? Cease the attitude, bitch, and text me the fucking address. I haven’t wounded your little feelings! You’re the first person on this earth to admit that you’re a bitch! Whatever, Katherine. Just text me the address so we can go sort this mess out.” She hung up the phone, and headed back to the car. “We’ve been wasting our time out here.” She shouted over her shoulder as he followed in pursuit. “Katherine tracked her phone’s current location to a parking garage in the center of the city. It’s probably where she was last, but it’s all we have right now.”

“Then what on earth are you waiting for, sister?” Klaus flashed off and to the car.

Not thirty minutes later—it would have been fifteen had there not been extensive amounts of traffic and a lack of parking—the Mikaelson siblings were scouring the full garage for the car owned by Caroline Forbes. Thankfully, there weren’t many cars with Virginia plates in the structure, which significantly narrowed down their search.

“I found it Nik!” Rebekah shouted from the floor above, causing her brother to speed to where she was. She was right; it was Caroline’s car. His sister was currently on her knees, pulling a very pink thing out from underneath the vehicle. “Her purse.” She stated grimly. Klaus’s heart sunk into his stomach. “The contents are spilled… I’ve got her wallet, phone, extra makeup, everything. Even her keys. It’s all here.” She threw the purse at her brother after she finished putting everything back in. “See if you can sniff anything on that with your wolfy senses. Hybrids have to be useful for something.”

Klaus rolled his eyes but took the bag. Other than the overwhelming scent of Caroline which made him nearly ill again at the thought of her, there was nothing. Giving the bag back to his sister, he looked around the other cars for anything while she searched the other side of Caroline’s car. Noticing a glint of silver and white, he bent down and reached for the thing--which was actually two things. The first was a flyer for Fight Night at the Abattoir, and the second was a certain ring he had seen around Caroline’s finger. It seemed Marcellus was less intelligent than he had expected.

Rage flowed in his veins, and gripped his formerly dead heart. The usurper had gone too far. Taking his kingdom was criminal enough. That alone warranted the man’s death. But this… This was unforgivable. Caroline was an innocent in this game, and she was not to be touched. She was a woman meant to be eternally spared the pain of what Marcellus was certain to be putting her through at this very second. He had learnt his methods from the best, after all. Klaus had taught his protégé the concept of ‘no mercy’. Now that very theory was most likely being used upon the sunshine girl who had left his office that morning, bantering and laughing. Blood was going to rain this town if they dared to hurt a hair upon her head. Marcel and his kingdom were doomed.

Klaus sped off into the city, leaving his sister confused as to where exactly he was going. One thing was certain: he had found Caroline.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I teased you all with the little bit of Klaroline in this chapter, and then very unhappy things.... Sorry! I'll just warn you now; next chapter is why we can't have nice things. Again. 
> 
> Anyways, Hacker!Katherine is one of my favorite headcanons, though I'm pretty sure this is the only time she makes an appearance. And if you can't tell, I love writing Bonnie with an actual storyline, so expect to see more of that!
> 
> Thanks for reading and kudoing, and next chapter will be up as soon as I edit it!  
> -Abi


	16. Part Two: Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: ‘One thing was certain: he had found Caroline.’

“Marcellus!” Klaus flung open the doors into the empty courtyard, a man on a rampage.

“Klaus? What brings you to my abode?” The man in question ambled down the stairs from the upper level. “Would you like a drink, perhaps?”

“What I want is what you have taken from me. And I would like her back _immediately._ ” Klaus spat, his voice full of fire.

“Very well.” Marcel sighed dramatically. “Bring the package down, boys!” It seemed as if his army bled through the very walls and into the open area, there were so many. The insipid hybrid pup came and stood to the side of the false king. There were too many to take on at once, though the Original may have wished to do so. He was surrounded.

Suddenly very feminine grunts and struggles reached Klaus’s ears, and he could see a blonde head flanked by two men. “Get off of me, you bastards!” Caroline shrieked, kicking and punching. While a bit dirty and pale, she was overall unharmed. Snapping one’s neck, she started to bolt, when she was restrained by more vampires. “I said let me go, damn it! I’m not going to tell you anything!”

“Now, now, Marcellus. Is this any way to treat a lady?” Klaus couldn’t resist speaking up. Caroline’s head popped up at the sound of his voice, and relief flowed through her eyes.

“I don’t see a lady.” Marcel countered, waltzing over to where Caroline was being restrained, causing her face to fall. “Instead I see a little girl who’s attempting to run with the big boys, and failing grievously. I think she needs to be taught a lesson of what happens when we overstep our place, and don’t bow to the proper people.” He grasped her chin in one of his hands. “Now… It’s Caroline right?” He looked over at Tyler for confirmation when she was silent, which alerted Klaus to who had given her up. “Caroline, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. You can tell me every dirty little secret you learned while you’ve been staying with his family,” Marcel’s eyes flickered to Klaus and back “And you can walk, or I can get the information out of you by a less humane method.”

“I’m not a little girl anymore.” She spat, pulling back from him as much as she could. “It takes more than a threat to scare me.”

“So the hard way, then. Pity: I had hoped we could accomplish this in a civilized manner.” Marcel smirked, before driving a small wooden stake into her side, causing the girl to scream. Blood gushed onto her white and green dress, making her look like a gory Christmas tree. Klaus rushed forward, eyes flashing gold, but with a snap of his rival’s fingers was gagged and bound in chains, held against the wall and surrounded by a good number of hybrids.

Caroline was promptly tied to a chair with ropes so saturated in vervain, Klaus could smell the herb from where he was pinned to the wall. When he struggled to get free, he was stabbed in the abdomen with a stake, ceasing his movements temporarily. She whimpered as the ropes made contact with her skin; the thin sleeves were not doing much to stop the liquid from seeping through.

“Now, now, Caroline.” Marcel circled her chair as his army and her ex-boyfriend stood watching. “You don’t have to go through this pain. You can end it all, right now. I’ll let you go, and you don’t have to worry about this ever again. All you need to do is tell me what they’re planning.”

His words were sweet like honey, but stung like a bee. Caroline was no fool; she could not give up what she knew to Marcel. The hybrids were at stake—the pack which had claimed her as one of their family was at risk—and she would be damned before she betrayed them. There were children in the pack—families. In that moment—for she had not really accepted her status as Alpha Female, as it was awkward and uncomfortable—Caroline stepped up to the plate and owned her position. She would protect the pack of hybrids with her life. “No” was all she gasped out, the stake still imbedded in her side. “I won’t tell you anything.”

“You’re a stupid little girl.” It was apparent that Marcel was getting angrier. “That’s it. Just a stupid, silly, girl who is making a very _grave_ mistake. Whatever you are trying to hide won’t last long. I will get it out of you, one way or another.” He stopped in front of her, staring in Caroline’s pretty blue eyes. “Do you understand me?”

Her response was just to laugh, tears in her eyes. “You can try, but I’m stronger than you think. You won’t break me.” Hate filled her every expression, rolling throughout her being. This… This was hell. No one would blame her if she gave in. But Caroline would blame herself for being too weak. She could not be mentally weak, even if her body was. She was strong, ageless, _fearless_. She couldn’t be broken this easily.

Marcel simply waved two fingers and one of his men came forward with a bucket. They proceeded to throw the contents on the tied-up girl, and she screamed in agony, her marble skin blistering. Klaus continued pulling at his chains, fighting to get free, but the maker knew their craft. He managed to slightly loosen one side, but they were worked into the cement walls, and it would take time to get free, especially since Marcel’s vampires stabbed him every time he moved.

“Was that enough, sweet Caroline? Have you succumbed to the pain?” The charming leader taunted the vervain-water-soaked girl. Breathing deeply, tears streaming down her face, Caroline shook her head. “What was that? I didn’t quite hear you.” He gestured, causing his army to break out in laughter.

“I didn’t say anything.” She intoned raspily, her voice full of rage. “Grow up and stop acting like a fifth-grader.”

Marcel laughed. “You think I’m acting like a child? You’re the child here. A baby vampire… You’re what, one? Two? All you have are words. You are powerless.”

This process repeated for minutes upon minutes. Marcel would taunt Caroline, she would defy him, and he would torture her. Sometimes it would be a stake, sometimes he would just slice her with a nasty-looking knife. Other times it would be the vervain mixture, and he had taken to trying to drown Caroline in it by repeatedly shoving her face into the burning water.

The woman remained strong, however, throughout the whole process. Or at least, she appeared to be so. Her screams of pain were the only thing which showed how miserable she actually was. Caroline had something to protect, after all. She wasn’t going to betray the Mikaelsons and the hybrids so easily. It would take more to harm her.

Klaus, on the other hand, was utterly miserable. Caroline was being tortured in front of his eyes, and while he was certainly more resilient physically than she, mentally he was in hell. He was failing. He was older and stronger; he should be protecting her from this army. But instead he was bound in chains, simply attempting to wiggle loose one hand. Once he got out of these wretched shackles, blood would stain the walls of the Abattoir for centuries.

-0-0-0-0-0-

“Is this going to actually work?” Rebekah asked from her position in the little witch’s lair. “Because Nik decided to be an idiot and frankly, while he may be an exceedingly powerful individual, even he cannot take upon an army singlehandedly. Not when he has someone he is trying to protect.”

“Why is she here again?” Davina looked up at Bonnie.

“Remember what I told you?” The anchor asked. “Blood tracks better than anything else. Since we’re assuming Klaus is with Caroline, our best bet to get to him is via Rebekah.”

“I still don’t know why Elijah couldn’t come. He’s tolerable.” The younger girl flipped through the pages of one of Bonnie’s grimoires.

“He and Katherine are currently attempting to track them down by GPS signals. Katherine’s gone all computer geek and has notebooks and maps spread out everywhere.” The female Original commented. “Trust me, little witch. I would have much preferred him coming in my place.”

“Not helping, Rebekah.” Bonnie muttered.

“She’s my sister, Bunny. What do you expect? We Mikaelsons are ridiculously stubborn, with a healthy side of sarcasm.” Kol leaned upon the table.

“Trust me, I’m well aware.” She retorted.

“What have you told her now, Kol?” Rebekah spoke to the thin air. “Honestly, half of what he says is untrue. Probably.”

Bonnie rolled her eyes. “He thinks you’re an annoying little twit of a sister.” She repeated Kol’s next statement. “But since you must have gotten your charming personality from your horrid parents, he’ll forgive you until you annoy him again.”

“How generous, _brother dear_.” His sister spat. “You’re so sweet and doting. How lucky I am to have such a _marvelous_ brother.” Bonnie looked beside her before letting out something between a snort and a giggle. Rebekah gave her a look. “He’s using the strumpet comment again, isn’t he? How original.”

“Why sister dear, how did you know? I am an Original. Always and forever.” Kol shot Bonnie a wink, who then repeated his words.

Davina looked over at the bickering young adults and sighed. “I found the spell, Bonnie!” She instantly got her mentor’s attention, who refocused on the task at hand. “Now what do I need to do?”

Bonnie smiled, projecting an air of assurance, though she was a bit nervous. This would be the first time Davina would do anything with consequences. All the previous spells she had done—the correct way—were simple: a few color-changing spells, a light spell, a spell to create fog; all beginner’s stuff. This was going to be her first real piece of magic; well, other than the unlinking spell she did, and even then, that was messy and almost unsuccessful. “Alright, light the candles like I showed you how.” Davina concentrated for a second, and then waved her hand, causing the few candles around her room to light up. “Okay, you ready?”

The young witch nodded and smiled in response. “I’m ready. I can do this.” She utilized the breathing exercises Kol had her practicing, and commenced straightening out the maps of the city.

“Alright.” Bonnie turned to Rebekah. “Now, I need you to slice the palm of your hand.” She handed her a knife, and the blonde winced slightly as she cut herself, the blood pooling before the wound closed.

“Tell her to drop some at each of the corners of the map. You’ll get the quickest results that way.” Kol interjected. Bonnie nodded and repeated his instructions, and Rebekah did as asked.

“Now Davina,” The anchor turned to her charge “I want you to let your power flow across the map while you chant the spell. If it works, Rebekah’s blood should move to his exact location on the map.” The girl nodded, and began chanting the incantation.

At first it looked as if the spell was going to work. The drops quivered as Davina chanted, but nothing happened. Scowling, the witch began to chant again, but there were no results. Bonnie exchanged a look with the invisible Kol, and was about to intervene, but Davina began her incantation once more. _“Phesmatos tribum nas ex viras, Sequitas sanguines, Ementas asten mihan ega petous!”_ The witch screamed, her hands hovering over the map with Rebekah’ blood on it.

“Davina…” Bonnie stepped closer to her trainee. “You need to calm down.”

“It’s not working Bonnie! Why isn’t it working?” The younger girl pleaded, her breathing heavy. “It was supposed to work!”

“There could be someone blocking her, though with the restrictions of magic on the town, I doubt it. Check the spell again… See if she mispronounced anything, even slightly.” Kol instructed, earning him a look from Bonnie.

“Kol, I know how to read spells. I was a witch, remember?”

“I remember, darling.” He smirked. “There was a certain aneurysm that you gave me which stands out particularly.”

“Good.” She sniped. “Keep that particular memory in mind, will you?” Turning to Davina, Bonnie said, “Look, work on the breathing exercises we gave you for a few seconds, while I work out if this is the correct spell to even use, and then we’ll try again, okay?” Davina nodded and began calming herself down while her mentor worked. Bonnie looked over the grimoire and realized what had gone wrong. “Davina?” The witch’s eyes snapped open, and she rushed over at Bonnie’s beckoning. “Look… See here?” She pointed to a line in the grimoire. “This denotes which method of tracking is supposed to be used per spell; they are all different, remember? You weren’t supposed to be using the blood-and-map method, but another one.”

“So basically I used the wrong spell?”

“Yes.” The former witch affirmed. “It was a beginner’s mistake, and honestly, you’ll probably do it again. You need to learn to recognize the differences in the phrases though; if this had happened while you were doing a major spell, there could have been serious repercussions. Magic is not a toy, it is a tool.” She said seriously.

Davina nodded. “So what do I need to do?”

“Rebekah, get over here.” Bonnie said.

“Oh, so I’m needed again? Marvelous. I was hoping I could leave.” The female Original rolled her eyes as she stood across from the witch.

“Alright, Davina, hold Rebekah’s hands.” The two ladies did as Bonnie instructed. “Now, while you chant the spell, focus on Klaus in your mind. Use your physical connection to his flesh-and-blood to concentrate, and channel your magic to find wherever he is located. The place where he is should appear in your mind.”

Kol watched on as the three women went through the motions of the spell. He had always held an appreciation for witches; it was their magic which attracted him. His magic had been stolen away at far too young an age. He had never been allowed to be properly trained, and was forced to resort to quick lessons from Ayanna snatched in the little spare time he had. Even those only lasted until Mikael discovered them. Afterwards, his father—if one could even call the man that, for he did not deserve the title of father—attempted to beat the magic out of him. Kol had only been twelve at the time, and that was when the rebellions started. He would do magic in secret, practicing spells which he knew were out of his league, simply to destroy something. The more Mikael was deprived, the happier the young boy became. His life’s purpose had been to annoy his parents as much as possible—no, not even Esther was exempt. After all, his mother was a witch, and a very powerful one. Witches and warlocks were supposed to stick with their own kind. She abandoned him—her own son—all because he had the magic she wanted Finn or Bekah to receive. Well, fuck them. The power of Nature had been his from a young age, and it would always be his. Even when it was gone.

Yes, Kol missed his magic. He missed the rush of power flowing through his veins when he completed a spell. Magic had been his drug—his escape—and even now, he was an addict. He was attracted to power—great power which made kings fall—and magic presented this to him in spades. It was what had attracted him to Bonnie Bennett in the first place. Quite unlike his older brothers, Kol did not have an issue expressing his innermost thoughts and feelings. He had always been an open book. The young man felt no shame in blatantly showing his attraction to the deadly and beautiful Miss Bennett. Even now, when she was devoid of her powers, simply watching her coach a girl through a spell caused him to feel things. Things he had not felt for a very, very, long time. She was exasperation; she was torture. Kol wanted to possess Bonnie, both body and soul, and he could see she felt their connection as well. It was a start. The best part was, if she did manage to resurrect him, he might actually have a fighting chance with the woman.

Over on the living half of the room, Davina was chanting and focusing. Breathing in, she paused. “I… I think I see something.” Her eyes closed, she focused some more. “There’s a lot of people. Hundreds, both men and women. They’re in a really dark area, and some of them appear to be laughing. Oh! I think… Okay, I see Klaus. He’s…chained to a wall.” Bonnie and Rebekah exchanged looks, their hearts sinking. If Klaus was in such a state, then what was Caroline like? “He’s gagged, and I think he keeps trying to get free. He’s staring at something, but I can’t tell what. He looks really angry… His eyes keep going gold.”

“Is Klaus the main focus of the room, or is there someone else?” Bonnie asked, heart racing. This wasn’t going to be good, she could tell.

Davina withdrew in herself once more, determining the answer. “No… What?” She suddenly shrieked, eyes popping open as she yanked her hands from Rebekah’s.

“What on earth happened?” Rebekah asked the shocked girl.

“I saw Marcel. He was stabbing the blonde friend of yours… Caroline, right? The girl on your phone, Bonnie.” Davina sputtered. “I thought he was different; that he wasn’t terrible like the rest of the vampires. But she wouldn’t have done anything to hurt him, would she have?”

“No, she wouldn’t.” Rebekah answered, standing up and gathering her purse swiftly. “Bonnie, I am sure you and my invisible brother can handle calming down the witch. I will be calling for Elijah’s assistance, and then we will be getting those two out of this mess; that is, if Nik has not managed to fix the situation already.”

“Are you going to kill them?” Davina asked, wide-eyed. “You can’t kill Marcel! He’s the only one I have left.”

“They have messed with family. That is not something we Mikaelsons take lightly. Elijah and I will attempt to prevent a bloodbath; though, when it comes to Niklaus, I shall make no promises.” Rebekah finished coldly, as she walked out of the apartment. Dialing as she walked to her car, she waited for Elijah to pick up. “Brother? The witch came through. Meet me at The Abattoir as soon as possible. If Nik gets free, we are going to have a bloody mess on our hands, and frankly, I would like to prevent him from wiping _all_ of them out. There needs to be a vampire kingdom to rule over, after all.”

-0-0-0-0-0-

Meanwhile, at the lair of Marcel Gerard, Caroline was in hell. It had not been bad before Klaus showed up: just a series of interrogations, and a few knives traced menacingly over her skin. He was not at fault for her current predicament either. Marcel had been getting fed up with her refusal to betray the Mikaelsons, and she knew this was going to happen one way or another. With Klaus there, she at least knew he would get them out.

More intense than the intense physical pain she was going through—and it was a lot of pain, for Marcel seemed to be experienced in this craft—was Tyler’s betrayal. While she was more than aware he was upset with her for staying in the city with Klaus and his family, Caroline had never thought he would hand her over to be _tortured_. Then again, rage does funny things to a person, and Tyler had always been one to act before he thought. She knew it was him, too; Marcel had known the cover story about her connection with Rebekah was false, and an awful lot about her and Klaus’s history together. It was information only Tyler could have given over.

“You know, Caroline, you really aren’t looking your best right now.” Her tormenter smirked.

“I wonder why.” She sniffled out, wincing at the pain it caused to speak.

Marcel continued on as if she had said nothing. “We should get someone in here to capture this memory. So you can have it forever. You like to be drawn, I hear?” A lazy smile crossed his face. “Or maybe you just like a certain person to draw you. Is that it?”

Fighting back a blush at his intimations, Caroline’s eyes dropped to the floor for a second. When she looked back up, she turned her gaze to her ex-boyfriend. “You know, betrayal really doesn’t look good on you.”

“I don’t really care about your opinions anymore, Care. It’s not personal, just business.” Tyler shot back in the cocky way of his which always infuriated her.

“You’re lying.” She gasped, crying out when she shifted the wrong way. “It always has been. You think I betrayed you by coming down here, and you’re jealous. This is personal, and you know it.”

Tyler stalked over to where she was, stopping in front of her chair. “You’re right. It is personal.” His eyes filled with wrath. “It’s personal because you’re a pathetic little slut with an inferiority complex, who threw herself at the next guy to give her an ounce of attention. Just like you did with Damon, and Matt, and me. You prance around in your pretty dresses, always acting like you’re better than everyone else, and yet, I know that underneath your show of Miss Perfect, you think you’re worthless. Well guess what? You are. You’re insignificant, Caroline Forbes, and you always will be.”

For the first time all day, Caroline burst into tears because of the words which were thrown at her. She had managed to only cry because of pain before, but Tyler’s words hit home. He had thrown things she had told him in the deepest of confidences back in her face, in front of everyone. In front of Klaus. “Fuck you, Tyler.” She spat through her sobs.

“You already have” was all he said before walking away.

Chest rasping as she attempted to calm herself, the blonde received no rest. She had not realized it until that moment, for she had had no need, but when the sunshine hit her back, the loss of her daylight ring was made apparent. Shrieking in pain, she arched away from the never-ending light, her voice breaking. Briefly she could hear the sound of something cracking, but the sound flew out of her mind as the light suddenly stopped. Ten seconds later, it started up again. Caroline was brought back to another time she was tortured—another day sunlight had been used upon her—and she wondered if she was beginning to hallucinate. The Abattoir now appeared like the cell back in Mystic Falls, and instead of Marcel in front of her, it was her dead father.

“No… Please stop.” She whimpered in the intervals between sunlight. “Daddy, please. Don’t hurt me.” Vaguely the sound of laughter could be heard, but she was all alone. Caroline was alone, and it was her dad inflicting pain upon her now. “Please, Daddy. I’m not a monster.” Crying out when the sunlight hit her back again, the tang of blood hit her senses, and her veins rippled. “I-I don’t hurt people. I can control it.” In the back of her mind, a small voice whispered to just open her eyes, but the tormented girl could not bear to. Opening her eyes would mean seeing her dad hating her again.

After Caroline received a few minutes of respite, she noticed…sounds. Sounds which were most certainly not the bits of laughter she had discerned amidst her pain from earlier. Wincing as she opened her eyes, the beaten girl sucked in a gasp at the sight before her.

On the other side of the courtyard, Elijah and Rebekah walked in. To put the situation in layman’s terms, it was a bloodbath. Judging by the amount of bodies on the ground, the still-tied-up Caroline in the corner, and the large swarm which was engulfing their maniacal brother, Niklaus had not been free very long. Their brother was currently fighting against a good amount of vampires—roughly around fifty to seventy—while some stood to the side and others fled. Rebekah spotted Marcel and Tyler standing near the steps, glowering at the scene. And, well, it was a gory scene. Needless to say, heads were rolling.

“I’ll grab Caroline, you assist Nik.” Rebekah left no room for argument. She, however, was surprised when Elijah drew a blood bag from his jacket and handed to her.

“Miss Forbes will be of no use to us if she is not able to move. Besides, her disastrous condition will only serve to fuel Niklaus’s rage. Best to get her feeling slightly better than not at all.” The eldest Mikaelson stated in his normal stoic manner. He adjusted the cuffs of his jacket, and sped into battle alongside his brother. ‘Twas a shame his suit would be ruined, but it was for family. Anyways, sending too many bloodstained suits into the drycleaners often aroused suspicion. It would not do for him to be taken for a _serial killer_.

Rebekah flashed over to where her friend was detained, ripping the hearts out of three vampires in the process. They would soon learn not to mess with her or hers. However, judging his actions today, it appeared Marcel had forgotten the main rule of the Mikaelsons: you don’t fuck with family. Not like this. Inspecting the cringing girl who was staring at the bloody courtyard with an unreadable expression, the older girl’s heart tore at the expanse of burns and cuts. One blood bag wouldn’t do much.

“Caroline?” She asked, kneeling down. “Are you still with me?”

“Yeah.” Was the whisper she received in response. “I… I’m still all here.”

“Okay. Look, I’m going to break these ropes, and it’s going to hurt. They reek of vervain, if you can’t tell.” The female Original attempted a laugh as she stood and went to snap the soaked ropes, trying to take her friend’s mind off of the pain.

“I can tell.” Caroline deadpanned, causing a smirk to form on Rebekah’s face and a sense of pride to rise within her. Clearly the girl had been through hell in the past few hours, and she had not allowed them to break her. It showed the baby vampire’s strength and will.

Quickly she stood and snapped the ropes, wincing at both the pain it caused her, and the whimpers Caroline gave out in the middle of the action. Picking the blood bag off of the ground where she had set it, Rebekah popped the cap and handed it over. “Drink up. It’s bad enough you’ve got bloodstains on your dress. I won’t let you be seen in public looking like that.”

Grasping the pouch eagerly, the starving woman quickly brought the tube to her lips and sucked. As the blood flowed into her system, the burns on her body slowly began to heal, and some of the larger gashes partially closed. A bit of color returned to Caroline’s cheeks, though she winced when she stood. “T-thank you.” She whispered.

“Thank Elijah. He brought it.” Rebekah stated flippantly and she brushed off her hands. Cocking her head towards the lovely tableau being painted in front of them, she arched an eyebrow. “I say we grab the boys before they decimate the rest of them, and get you to a bed.”

“Yeah,” The injured girl nodded “That sounds like a good idea.” She breathed heavily, leaning on her friend heavily.

Her companion let out an ear-piercing whistle, silencing the room. Now that the flying blood and gore had died down, Rebekah noticed one side of the room where chains appeared to have been ripped from the cement walls, chunks of wall having come with them, and lay discarded on the floor. There was no doubt in her mind who those had been restraining. Nodding to her brothers who began walking in their direction, she wrapped an arm around Caroline’s waist as she attempted to help the girl walk. Klaus sped over, blood spattering his clothing—whether it was his or another’s was indiscernible—and stopped in front of the pair.

Caroline felt him come near and looked up. He was covered in blood, a grim expression on his face, but she found she did not care in the slightest. Klaus held something out to her, and it took her a moment to realize what it was until he slipped it upon her finger. Her daylight ring. Blinking back tears in her heavy and pained eyes, she smiled as much as she could, and gave him a slight nod, agreeing to the action he was conveying. Seconds later, the lady was whisked up into Klaus’s arms, and he carried her out to the waiting cars. The Big, Bad Hybrid was not the villain, and instead someone she had once been in love with was. Oh, how tides ebb and wane.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Back at the manor, Katherine and Bonnie—and to a much lesser degree, Kol—were sitting in anticipation for the possible return of everyone. Elijah had called and informed the pair of their impending arrival, but refrained from mentioning any conditions, which had caused Katherine to roll her eyes.

“I believe my family has arrived, darling.” Kol said, causing Bonnie to stand and rush towards the door. Katherine followed shortly after, though she did not run, and it took her a bit longer to get there than normal.

“I can walk up a few stairs on my own, you know.” They heard Caroline sigh. The front door burst open, Rebekah leading and the rest trailing behind. To Bonnie and Katherine, everyone was a disaster. Caroline and Klaus had holes in their clothing, and the former was sporting healing burns and gashes as well. The men were splattered all over with blood, and Rebekah’s hands were coated in the stuff.

“They did a number on you.” Katherine commented as they all moved into the kitchen. She glared at Elijah as he attempted to make her sit down and initially resisted, but eventually lost the silent battle.

“I’ll be fine.” Caroline shrugged, thanking Rebekah when she started handing out warm mugs of blood.

“Caroline.” Bonnie crossed her arms. “This wasn’t just nothing. You were there for how long?”

“Bon, really. I’ll be fine.” She shook her head, clearly not fine. Klaus arched an eyebrow at her stubbornness. Honestly, she could just admit she wasn’t okay. His mind was drawn away for a moment as Rebekah asked if he was alright, but after nodding his answer, the hybrid turned his attention back to the previous subjects of his focus.

“Caroline Cornelia Forbes.” This got the offender’s attention, and she looked up at her best friend guiltily. “Something’s wrong—other than the obvious—and I’m going to stand here until I get it out of you.”

Caroline sniffled, her resolve breaking down. “I… I thought I was…” She started crying. It was not the loud, heaving sobs which tore at one’s heart. Instead these were the silent and streaming ones, and they fell down her face as she spoke. “I was so sure I was back there and I didn’t want to open my eyes, and they used sunlight on me just like he did and I…” It all clicked in Bonnie’s mind, and she sat in the chair next to Caroline, hugging her while she cried and talked. “I was so sure it was D-daddy doing it to me again and not M-marcel, and Tyler was there and he just _watched_. And he said t-terrible things, Bon.” A fresh wave of tears descended, the expression on her face heartbroken with betrayal and pain. “What happened? How could he… He carried me away from Daddy, last time. H-he held me all night when I c-cried. And then he just stood there. What did I do? What did I do wrong?”

“Nothing, Care.” Bonnie stroked her best friend’s hair as they cried together. She heard a few sniffles coming from someone in the room: probably Rebekah as Elijah had escorted Katherine out a few moments before. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I must have.” The blonde whimpered, taking deeper breaths. “I just… I couldn’t give them over.” Caroline pulled back and accepted a handkerchief from Rebekah, drying her eyes.

“Give who over, love.” Klaus spoke for the first time all evening. She saw for the first time how much of a disaster he was in, and noticed the pain in his eyes as he took her in. When the thought of him having to watch her be tortured went through her mind, it made Caroline’s stomach turn. Also, there was the fact that he had clearly been staked a few times as well. Suddenly, she wanted to give him a hug.

“The pack.” She said quietly, looking up and meeting his tired gaze. “Marcel wanted to know anything we’ve been planning against him. The only thing I knew of was the hybrids. E-even in all he was doing to me, I just couldn’t give them over. I refused to.” The lady brushed a lock of hair from her eyes. “I… I wasn’t going to let him break me. Not with a bit of torture. He wasn’t going to win.”

The man simply nodded and stood, heading out of the room. Klaus’s entire being overcame with loathing. It was his fault. His damn fault. Caroline was tortured because of his pack of hybrids, therefore part of the blame lay upon his shoulders. She had been through a ridiculous amount of unnecessary pain—burns and cuts marred her unblemished figure—all because of his plans. He did this; he was the one responsible for her pain. How she even managed to sit in the same room as a man like him was almost indiscernible. Mikael was right. He ruined everything he touched; even the one person he wished to spare from it all had been dragged into a mess because of him. He was a disaster of a man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Agggghhh. All the angst. All the pain. All the tears. This chapter was probably one of the hardest for me to write, simply because of the PTSD which needed to be conveyed accurately, not to mention keeping people in character. Everyone's basically effed-up in this story, am I right?
> 
> Anyways, I hope to have Chapter 17 up sometime over the weekend, so let's hope I manage that! Thanks for reading and kudoing!  
> -Abi


	17. Part Two: Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: ‘… He was a disaster of a man.’

Breathing heavily, Caroline snapped up in her bed. Grabbing her phone, she checked the time. 3:04. Great.

After Klaus had left the room earlier that evening, Rebekah and Bonnie had helped her upstairs and into her room. Katherine’s protests could be heard from down the hall, but Elijah had insisted she go back to bed because, “Katerina, you’re looking pale and I will not have another person almost dying today”. Now, she did not exactly take kindly to his coddling, and after what Rebekah had said were multiple escape attempts, Katherine was giving Elijah the silent treatment. Not that that would last very long, in Caroline’s opinion. Those two were inevitable.

Once Caroline had gotten out of the shower, Bonnie shoved yet another mug of warm blood under her nose, with the special addition of a few herbs to leech the vervain out of her system. Apparently it was a remedy of Kol’s. The blonde eagerly accepted the drink, and after much wheedling, got her best friend to make another mug for Klaus. The concoction worked too, as she discovered while throwing on sweatpants and a tank-top—screw fashion. Being tortured for almost three hours straight gave one a pass.

And now, here she was. It was three o’clock in the morning, and every time she attempted to close her eyes and grab a morsel of sleep, visions of the day’s events plagued her mind. Lovely, no? Sliding out from underneath her silky sheets, Caroline grabbed a hoodie and her phone, just needing to give her mind a break.

Her footsteps took her to the secluded library in the back of the house, where a fireplace and plushy couches—not to mention a literal wealth of books available to put her to sleep—awaited. She, however, did not expect to see a fire already warming the room, and a certain man staring at said fire from his position on the couch, a glass of something hanging lazily in his hand.

“Couldn’t sleep either?” She asked softly, her footsteps soft as she padded over and curled up in an armchair.

Klaus looked up from his brooding. “I’m a thousand years old, Caroline. I rarely need more than three or four hours of sleep.”

“Ah. I’m still on a fairly normal sleep schedule, so I wonder if that changes with age.” The lady shrugged. “Then again, at this rate, I probably won’t make it that long.” She laughed grimly.

“You will.” He said firmly, though still with a soft undertone. “You will make it to a thousand, and many years past.” Sighing, the hybrid took another sip of his drink.

“You can’t promise that.” Caroline shook her head, her golden curls reflecting the firelight. “What happens next year, or a decade, or even a century are not set in stone. The world is ever-changing; the future is not a given.”

“As I am more than aware.” Klaus arched an eyebrow. “If anyone is able to attest upon the movement of the world, it would be me.”

“But you aren’t.” The blonde gave him a soft smile. “You’ve lost sight of some things in the past thousand years.” As he went to reply, she cut him off. “You know I’m right. And I mean… I’m not chastising you, because it makes sense, you know? But all the same, your perspective is a bit skewed versus mine.”

“And why do you say that?” He crossed one leg over the other, reclining.

“Your future has been the same for so long. You’re immortal: strong, ageless, fearless.” Caroline smirked as he took recognition of the very words he had told her once. “You’ve forgotten the moments where the prospect of being those things were incomprehensible, simply because the span of time wasn’t long enough for any change to be obvious. It’s just… It’s really hard to think of, sometimes.”

Klaus nodded a concession. “So, then, if you find your immortal existence mind-boggling, what do you suppose you would be doing now, had you still been human?” He was genuinely curious as to what she would say.

“Not much would have changed, really.” She shrugged. “I mean… I would have continued with all of my committees instead of dropping a few, that’s for sure. I’d probably be studying journalism at Whitmore; maybe some other college, though I’m not sure about that. My mom and I wouldn’t be on as good terms as we are now. My dad might still be alive, since he wouldn’t have been stabbed by my history teacher’s alter-ego. I think I’d still be dating Matt, too. I mean, the only reason we even broke up was because of the whole “your-girlfriend-just-became-a-member-of-the-undead” thing, and really… I would still just be the person I used to be. Girly, little Caroline.” It was hard to answer honestly, for she was alluding to things she did not particularly want to talk about, but Caroline felt she needed to be blunt. Klaus deserved her honesty. “I wasn’t exactly the…best person as a human, you know? I was really shall—”

The Original cut her off. “Caroline.” His voice was hard as steel, in direct opposition to his easy tone of mere moments before. “Do not believe one word the despicable thing you call an ex-boyfriend said. You are more than what he dared degrade you to.”

 “No.” Caroline snapped. “No, he was right. Everything Tyler said was true.” She stood suddenly, running a hand through her hair. “I had an inferiority complex as high as the sky. It makes sense, you know? I mean, no one’s ever put me first.” Caroline looked over at him briefly, before sighing. “Not my parents: I mean, my dad decided to run off with his lover instead of parent me, and my mom put her work above me _constantly_. God, I would avoid coming home some afternoons, simply because I didn’t want to be in an empty house, you know?” She bit one her bottom lip, eyes far off as they remembered old times. “I could never get any of the boyfriends I wanted; all of them wanted Elena more. It’s that damn Petrova allure, I guess. Not to mention I have one of the worst track records with guys ever.” She squeezed her eyes tight, blocking out the protests Klaus threw out and continued on. “I was so pathetic. I did stupid stuff and I was rash and I threw myself at anyone who looked at me. I mean… I gave away my fucking virginity to a random guy at a stupid party because I was pissed at my dad and he was there. Who does _that_?” Caroline turned away, pressing the heels of her hands over her eyes briefly. “I first went after Matt to get over Damon, and I sort of cheated on Matt with Tyler and just... I was such a slut. I had it coming. God, I had it coming.” She paced the room, not noticing Klaus had stood up by now. “I was practically asking for it. I mean… I was an easy target. A miserable and lonely girl who’s willing to go home with anyone is such an easy target. And I was stupid enough to fall for all of it.”

Klaus stopped her incessant movement as she passed by again, catching her forearm. “Caroline. What. Happened. To. You.” He gritted out, standing up. She was momentarily quiet before exploding.

“Damon Fucking Salvatore, that’s who!” She shrieked. “I was his personal little bloodbag and sex toy after he came to town! I mean sure, he was emotionless and all, but that doesn’t give anyone a free pass, you know? And unfortunately I was the collateral damage!” Caroline froze as Klaus threw his tumbler into the fireplace, the sound of shattering glass breaking through her ranting. As he turned back towards her, a shiver went down her spine at the gaze full of fire and wrath focused upon her, and yet not on her.

“He did what?” The words came out in a deathly whisper, one which scared her more than louder tones might have.

“Y-you heard me.” She looked down, the fight taken out of her, leaving her weary. She was ashamed of what had happened to her; she was the one stupid enough to get into that situation. If only she had had a bit more common sense. “I was an idiot and had it coming. It doesn’t excuse his actions, but I participated.” She turned and rested her head in her hands, breathing deeply.

His footsteps grew nearer, muted by the soft rug. As he turned her around, Caroline kept her gaze to the floor. Now he knew how ruined she actually was. How stupid. How shallow. How slutty. She should have just kept her damn mouth shut. The lady was surprised however, when she felt a hand cupping her chin and raising it. His other hand caressed her cheek in a butterfly touch, and almost subconsciously she turned into his palm.

“You, love, are the most amazing woman I have ever had the privilege of making an acquaintance with.” Klaus’s voice—not to mention that damn accent of his—was smooth and melted over her, but she shook it off, scoffing.

“That’s ridiculous. You’ve been alive for a thousand years. I’m sure you’ve told that to a few dozen other girls.” Caroline rolled her eyes, avoiding his gaze again.

“Sweetheart.” When she simply closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, Klaus tried again. “Caroline, love. What’s wrong?”

“You, damn it!” She stepped back, running a hand through her messy curls. “You can’t just tell me something like that! Not when I just told you practically every bad thing that’s ever happened to me!”

“I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true!” He shot back.

“But it can’t be!” Caroline started pacing.

“And why not, love?” Klaus crossed his arms, arching an eyebrow.

“Because I’m a walking disaster!” The blonde looked into the fire briefly before resuming her movements. “Like, I’m really crazy half the time and I’m neurotic and my OCD multiplied by like a thousand after I turned. I’ve got jealousy issues and compulsion issues and I really, really, hate being told what to do.” She gestured wildly as she spoke. “I’m _damaged_ , okay?” Caroline sighed. “I have trust issues and parent issues and I still get nightmares all the time because, for some reason, people like to torture me!” She huffed angrily, coming to a stop. “Look, I appreciate the compliment, really, I do, but there are better women in the world you can give it to. Many who are more worthy of your time and company.”

“You’re acting ridiculous, sweetheart.” Klaus scoffed. “I do not exaggerate when it comes to circumstances such as this. I have spent decades in the company of empresses and queens, and there are only a handful who rival you.” He ran a hand over his face, letting out a sharp laugh. “You… You’re marvelous. Honestly, I do not even understand why you are still here after watching me slaughter dozens of vampires today. Bloody hell, it is my fault you were even tortured today. Marcellus went after you to get at me, and don’t even deny it.” He cut the girl off as she started to speak. “Your capture was because of me, and mine. Even if the hybrid puppy had not handed you over like you were property to give, Marcel would have figured out our connection eventually.” This time it was Klaus who did the pacing, and Caroline who stood in silence. She was shocked. This was the most she had heard Klaus speak of himself—not to mention his emotions—since telling her of his imminent child. It was slightly strange, to be frank, though in a good way. He turned back towards her, abruptly sweeping her out of her thoughts. Stepping closer, his eyes raked over her form, sending shivers down her spine. He reached out and tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear before speaking once more, the lower pitch of his voice causing her breath to catch. “You… You do things to me. Make me feel things I have never felt before. It is a strange thing, to wander the earth a cold and lonely man, and then to, all of a sudden, have a blast of sunshine fall into your life. I am a monster, Caroline. I have done despicable things; the blood of thousands rests upon my hands. I loathe how far I have fallen, and yet, I cannot seem to care. I have lived my life under the banner of love being the greatest weakness, and then you waltz in and shake everything up. You are a contradiction. The lady of light, and the queen of darkness. You hold both within yourself, even if you do not wish to admit it. You are… You are too wonderful for a man such as I.” Silence reigned for a moment as Klaus simply looked at her. It felt, to Caroline, as if he was gazing into her very soul. Then he stepped back, never breaking her gaze. “Goodnight, love. I’m down the hall if you need anything.” With a curt nod, Niklaus Mikaelson left the room.

Caroline simply watched him go in silence, shocked to her core. Klaus… Klaus actually… He really meant it. He truly meant every word to her over the time they had interacted. His feelings were true. She knew that now. The doubt she harbored in his intentions—the worry that maybe it was just the thrill of the chase—had always been present. He was an Original. She was just…herself. Caroline Forbes, from small-town Virginia. That’s it.

But he saw her as something different. And she saw him as something different; the different facets of his personality. She saw the king in his everyday manner, in the way he dealt with his hybrid pack. She saw the monster, full of wrath, when those he considered under his protection to be in jeopardy. Yet, these were nothing new. These facets of his personality were shown to many others. No, the surprising part of him was the man. She saw the mere man when he interacted with his siblings, or herself, or even when she caught him looking at those ultrasound pictures of his child. He may be a very ancient man, but he was still one nonetheless. He made mistakes, like one. It was this side of Klaus’s personality whom she spoken to this evening.

Man, monster, king. All three wrapped into one overwhelming tormentous whirlwind of a being. He brought so much confusion into her life. His role was supposed to be clear. Klaus was supposed to be the villain; the evil one. When he was merely that, it had been easy. Her existence changed the moment the bad guy walked into her childhood bedroom, bared his wrist, and saved her life: she would never be the same after that moment. The one she had loved was now more easily placed in the villain’s role, and it seemed as if the villain was slipping into a permanent place in her heart.

-0-0-0-0-0-

The next morning, Caroline was lying in wait at the bottom of the stairs. Klaus had the habit of being a late riser, at least, if you consider eight in the morning late, and was always one of the last to breakfast. She needed to talk to him; though, not for the reasons one might suspect. The idea which was currently turning her mind in circles had formed in the early hours of the morning, while she tried to fall asleep after the conversation she and Klaus had had, and really, she needed this. She couldn’t take another day like the previous.

Presently she heard the familiar footsteps coming down the stairs, and Caroline pushed off the wall. Klaus appeared on the landing, dressed in one of those henley’s she had always held an appreciation for, his ever-present necklaces peeking out of the unbuttoned portion. A thought flickered into her mind of whether or not he ever took the things off; did he wear them like…all the time? It could be a sexy look… Snapping out of her thoughts, she refocused on the hybrid who was leisurely making his way down the stairs.

“I assume you are waiting for a reason, and not just for the pleasure of my company?” He smirked, cocking one eyebrow in the way that made Caroline want to both smack and kiss him.

“You underestimate me.” She gave him a look. “I’m here for both, actually.” Receiving a questioning expression, the vampire continued on. “Take a walk with me?” Caroline gave him a soft smile.

Klaus scrutinized her, searching for anything which would betray her purpose in her eyes, but found nothing. “Lead the way, sweetheart.”

Their walk around the gardens—yes, the manor actually had _gardens_ , like something out of a period novel—started in silence. When they were a sufficient distance away from the main house, Caroline turned to her companion. “I can’t take another day like yesterday.” Klaus’s eyes darkened at the mention of the previous day’s events, but he remained silent, letting her continue on. “I’ve been tortured by two packs of werewolves, my history teacher, and my own dad. I can’t take it again.”

The Original Hybrid took a deep breath. “How do you suppose we rectify this problem?”

“I want to go to war with you.” She blurted out.

Klaus’s head snapped up, and he turned to her. “Excuse me?”

“You heard correctly.” The blonde shot back. “Look, whether I continue to live with you and your family, or I get my own apartment or something, I don’t plan on leaving New Orleans for a long time. I love it here. The city is full of life and majesty. It’s… It is so much more than I could have expected.” She smiled, before her expression turned fierce. “But the city doesn’t belong to its current ruler, and that’s a problem that needs to be fixed.” Caroline looked directly at her companion. “I know—in the bottom of my heart—that the city of New Orleans should reside in Mikaelson hands. It belongs to you.” She said quietly. “I want to help make that happen.”

Klaus looked at the ground, before looking back at his companion. Frankly, he was shocked. Especially after their conversation the previous evening, he was surprised she still wanted to be around him. He had received no response, after all; not that he had given her a chance to reply. The rush of emotions he had received while in the presence of the baby vampire before him was incomprehensible, though the previous evening it seemed everything was amplified. She was a magnificent woman. “Well then, love, nothing would delight me more than to have your assistance.”

She broke out into a toothy smile. “Great! I mean, I know I’ll have a huge learning curve to even be of any use, but I was really hoping you’d think me…you know, capable enough.”

Klaus scrutinized her for a moment before nodding his head to himself. “It’s going to be work, yes. But you’ve got most of it down, and Elijah approves of your table manners.” When she scoffed, he laughed. “Sweetheart, it is an extreme task to have my brother approve of your etiquette. It is not a joking matter. The rest, however, can only be learned through practical experience. Though personally, when it comes to weapons, I could see you with a bow and arrow…”

Caroline arched an eyebrow. “I grew up with the sheriff, and my dad was fond of hunting. I can shoot fairly well, thank you very much.”

“So then wooden bullets, laced with vervain.” He nodded. “Pity. I always found archery to be a favorite of mine.” Klaus looked at her grimly. “I may be a cruel man, Caroline, but I do not wish for battle to take place in the city. However, if Marcel pushes for a bloodbath, he shall receive one.”

“Trust me, I’m not judging.” She replied. “What needs to be done must be done. If he forces your hand, there will be no other option.” An idea popped into her head, and she smirked, rolling with it. Taking a step closer to Klaus, she began to speak. “Though you know… I may be somewhat adequate with a pistol, but I’m terrible at hand-to-hand combat.” Running her hand lightly down the back of his arm, the blonde vixen raked her gaze over his handsome form. “Maybe you could…teach me? I need to learn how to properly get out of compromising positions, you know.” Caroline finished innocently, satisfaction welling up inside of her at the look in his eyes, dark with lust, a vein throbbing along his neck.

His hands clenched and unclenched briefly before he replied. “Your virginal façade is full of holes, sweetheart. You won’t get away with that.”

“When someone tells me I can’t do something, I prove them wrong.” Caroline retorted.

The hybrid grabbed her waist and pulled her flush against him. Trailing his mouth—which was barely refraining from touching her cheek—to her ear, he brushed a barely discernible kiss along her jawline. “You are formidable, but I always win.”

Caroline’s chest heaved as her undead heart raced and breathing accelerated. “You’re breaking the rules.”

“I never agreed to follow them, now did I?”

-0-0-0-0-0-

Katherine was sitting in the den, browsing through all of the latest shoe collections online. Once she was cured, the first thing she was going to do was wear high heels again. She had pouted for an hour when the pain of wearing her favorite shoes became too much, and she had been stuck wearing flats ever since. And then, with the fact that she was either stuck in bed or on the couch—and only the latter if she was lucky enough to have someone help her downstairs—the practicality of keeping up her appearance was nonexistent. True, she still applied makeup daily, thanks to a lap-desk and a vanity mirror, but her wardrobe consisted of yoga pants and tank-tops, or a variety of comfortable sundresses she was borrowing from Caroline. Gone were the skinny jeans and leather jackets of her better days. Now she was just a pallid version of her former self, washed up and miserable, stuck in limbo. Will she live? Will she die? The waiting game was wearing upon Katherine more than the actual process of falling apart.

She would forever be indebted to Caroline for what she did. The insufferably perky blonde had managed to do what no other could: she had gotten the survivor to want to live. For though Katherine was a survivor—five hundred and twenty years of running does not exactly give one a choice in the matter—when she had received her diagnosis, the Petrova fire in her had gone out. This…illness was a violation of everything she stood for. It took away her agency and mobility; it injured her already fragile state of being. She was impaired for the first time since becoming immortal, and when Katherine had woken up in that blasted school’s hallway, something inside of her shattered to pieces. She had always been alone, and it was never more apparent than that day.

Now she was in a better place. It wasn’t by much, but she was better. The unlikely friendships with Caroline and Rebekah had helped exponentially. The last real friendships Katherine had maintained were with Pearl and Emily, back in 1864. And even then, those were more mutually beneficial partnerships than actual friendships. With the two blondes, nothing other than an open ear and a bit of conversation was required of her. It was easy. She could unload her thoughts and listen to theirs in return. Their spending time together was not dependent upon what Katherine did for them. The shopping trips, movie nights, and just…time spent in comradery had done more to boost her confidence and spirits more than anything else. She had not realized how much platonic companionship could help a person until she was in the middle of the whole process, living with the last group of people she had ever expected to even like. After all, when it came to the other members of the manor, she was of more mellow opinions. She and Klaus had accepted their mutual dislike of each other, but set aside their obvious differences so as to keep the fragile peace within what was becoming an actual home. Katherine was practically indifferent in an emotional sense to Bonnie and her imaginary friend Kol, but did appreciate the fact that she was dedicating her abilities—and Kol his knowledge—to finding the cure. A former Bennett witch and the Original Family’s resident expert on all things magic were invaluable in a search such as this. Her former minion was inconsequential in the long run, though Katherine’s hate of the sniveling little bitch stemmed from her blatant attraction to Elijah. Therefore, she would continue to do everything in her exceedingly limited power to make the girl’s life hell.

Speaking of Elijah, they were in a strange place. Katherine was more than aware that she was still in love with him; this little fact had not changed. And, though he had not said the actual words, she knew he felt the same. She knew him well enough to be assured in that. Now, she had spent the majority of the summer royally pissed at him for dumping her after professing his love, but that was a fact neither could change. Instead they were in another limbo, in love with each other, but unable to do anything to further the process. Katherine blamed her own stubbornness, but if she was to go down, she was not going to leave Elijah with a heart broken twice over. It was not fair to entangle themselves in a torrid relationship and then die on him. She wasn’t going to do it.

Seeing a flash of something, Katherine looked up from her computer, and almost had another heart attack. Kol Bloody Mikaelson was standing in the doorway next to Bonnie, one hand which appeared to be gently guiding her as they walked. Could the anchor make physical contact with ghosts? Wait a second… “Holy Shit!” She shrieked. “Oh my god. I’m dead. I’m dead.” She backed into the couch as Bonnie approached her. “No! Don’t touch me!”

“Katherine… What on earth…” Bonnie asked, stopping where she stood. She exchanged a confused look with Kol, who was standing beside her.

“I don’t want to crossover! I’m not done yet!” The brunette shrank back into the couch cushions as much as humanly possible, not wanting to accept what she believed to be her death. Just then a burst of air flooded the room and came to stop in front of Katherine, revealing itself as Elijah.

“Katerina, what is going on?” The man in the suit kneeled in front of her, concern plastered across his face.

“You can see me?” The aforementioned asked, confusion seeping into her eyes. She was so sure she had died. After all, why else would Kol have been visible? He was dead, and unable to be seen by the alive. And Katherine was sure she had seen him; she wasn’t crazy. She might be falling apart and bedridden, but her mind hadn’t gone. Yet.

“Katerina,” Elijah stroked her cheek, brushing a loose curl behind her cheek “you are just as visible as you were this morning.”

“Then why on earth is your brother standing next to Bon-Bon!” Katherine arched an eyebrow, freaking out again at the fact that she could see the dead guy _again_.

Elijah looked over, and sure enough, Kol was standing next to Bonnie. His younger brother was messing with her earring, making an inane comment about not having seen that pair before or something. “Kol?” He stood, breathless and wide-eyed. The last time Elijah had seen his younger brother was in London, after Kol stopped in and interrupted him and Katerina in the middle of an extremely…compromising position. Needless to say, that was an interesting weekend. “Are… Are you…?” He trailed off, awestruck at the sight of his brother.

“No.” Kol replied. “In fact, I don’t even know how this is possi—” His voice faded out as the ghostly Original stepped towards his brother, disappearing into thin air as he walked.

Katherine observed the situation, putting the pieces together. “Bonnie, go touch your not-so-imaginary friend again.” She gestured from her position on the couch, completely ignoring the fact that she had just been in hysterics moments before because of said so-called ‘imaginary friend’. And when Bonnie told her that exact thing, she simply rolled her eyes.

She was right, however, because the moment Bonnie made contact with Kol, he appeared again. God, she could have gone a while longer without the psycho jackass’s presence. Alas, Kol made Elijah happy, and that made Katherine less disgruntled. The things one does for love. Soon enough Klaus and Rebekah had come back from wherever they had spent the afternoon—Caroline accompanying the former of course—and needless to say, were shocked by the appearance of their brother. Kol brought a spice to the Mikaelsons the other three simply did not exhibit, and Katherine liked it. Though he was still dead, they would be able to talk to Kol face-to-face, and something told her that Bonnie actually quite enjoyed the physical contact which was required for Kol to maintain the connection.

Katherine had spent a month and a half inside the manor in New Orleans. And, surprisingly, there was something about the place that drew to her. It wasn’t the enchanting city, but instead the people she was living with. And that in itself was surprising. For the first time in forever, Katherine Pierce felt at home. It was a really…nice feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How I have fond memories of writing this chapter--I wrote it at like two in the morning during spring break of my junior year, and I remember talking to my best friend on the phone afterwards, discussing whether or not the Klaroline was properly IC. Even reading it today, I still get a little emotional over this chapter. 
> 
> Anyways, thank you all for reading, and feel free to shoot me a message with any comments or thoughts! I'm always more than happy to talk things over with people.
> 
> Thanks again,  
> Abi


	18. Part Two: Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: ‘For the first time in forever, Katherine Pierce felt at home.’

Bonnie popped up from her position on the lush rug, grimoires spread around her in various stacks. Elijah had given her a quiet spot to search for the proper spell to save Katherine the week she arrived, and she really loved this little study. It was a medium-sized room with bay windows, and there was a large table covered in books that had been pushed against one wall. When studying, she preferred to spread her things out around her in piles, and it was halfway through one of the last few boxes she had been sent from Mystic Falls that contained the grimoire Bonnie was currently reading. Glancing over the specific spell one more time, she furrowed her brow. “Kol!” The ghost had been looking over some loose pages she spread out on another table so he could assist her. Sometimes his inability to touch anything normal was a hindrance—as he had complained to her many times before—but she enjoyed his company.

“Yes, darling?” The young man made his way over in his usual lazy manner, coming behind her.

“I can’t read this!” The anchor whirled around, hair fanning her face. “I can understand Latin and a bit of Greek, so it’s not either of those. So like…you’re the language junkie. Have at it!”

Kol smirked and read over her shoulder. “That’s because this is in Aramaic. Where did you find this?”

Closing the grimoire, her finger holding the page in place, Bonnie showed him the cover. “This. It’s really old, I can tell that much, but the majority of the grimoire was in Latin. It’s just this last portion that’s unreadable.” She shrugged her shoulders. There were still a good twenty pages left in the spellbook, all in what she now knew to be Aramaic.

“Can you turn the page? I think you might have found something.” He continued reading as she flipped the pages, before signaling for her to stop.

“Well?”

“This here is a centuries-old spell which was created to counteract the effects a degenerative magical potion had upon the human body. It will restore the body to the condition it was before the potion was taken. It’s nearly ridiculously long… The first few pages contain necessary ingredients and such, but there are still a good fifteen of chanting to be done.”

“I don’t care about the chanting. What I want to know is if it’ll work.” Bonnie crossed her arms, failing at not getting turned on by the magic-talk coming out of Kol’s mouth. There was something about a man who knew his magic that just got to her.

“Of course it’ll work, Bunny. I said that at the beginning.” He smirked impishly, causing her to glare.

“You’re insufferable.”

Kol plowed along as if she hadn’t said anything. “However, there are some conditions…”

-0-0-0-0-0-

“Can you at least explain to me what we’re doing out here?” Caroline crossed her arms. She had been roused out of what was supposed to be a lazy morning—it was Christmas Day, after all, and that gave her the right to sleep in—before it was time to prepare for the evening. She had worked it all out with Rebekah the week before, and the other girl was going to be gathering the materials they needed before they pulled everything together later on. Yet, instead of those lovely surprise plans, she was traipsing through the freezing cold streets of a little town about an hour outside of New Orleans at eight in the morning, all because Klaus wanted to show her something. Marvelous, no?

“Let’s call this your first lesson in going to war, sweetheart.” Klaus smiled cheekily, his infernal dimples only serving to infuriate her more.

“It’s cold. I’m tired. Let’s do this like…tomorrow!” The blonde shot back, officially beyond irritated.

“Or we could do it now, and get it over with.” He continued walking.

“What on earth are we even doing?” She threw her hands in the air as she jogged to catch up, his strides longer than the pace she had been walking at. “Well?”

The Original let out a breath through his nose. “Today, Caroline, you are going to learn how to fresh-feed. And that is that.”

“Seriously?” She stopped in her tracks. “Hell no! I don’t fresh-feed.”

Klaus turned back around, fully irritated. It would be so much easier if she would just listen and go along with what he had planned, but no. “Hate to break it to you sweetheart, but you’re a vampire. You drink human blood. Part of the process of accepting that fact is actually acting like what you are, and not sticking to the pathetic little bagged substitute. The rush, the strength: it’s absent. It weakens your sense, dulls your feelings. You would do well to stop living a fantasy, and wake up.”

Caroline backed up, affronted. “You don’t have to be such an asshole about it!” Placing her hands on her hips, she continued. “Besides, we all functioned pretty well in Mystic Falls, and all we ate were bloodbags.”

“Correction: you, Elena, and I presume the elder Salvatore as well,” The distaste in the way Klaus spoke Damon’s name made it evident that while he had let the topic of Caroline’s past drop, it was not forgotten “Lived off of bloodbags. My family hunts at night, and Stefan is so obsessed with not becoming a ripper, he uses animal blood as the easy way out. Even then, I assume Damon only uses the bagged stuff so to keep a low profile, and the rest of you were too focused on keeping a normal human life than to actually adjust in the proper way.”

“Please, tell me how you really feel.” The blonde spat.

“This is who I am, Caroline.” He gestured to himself. “I have been this way for over a thousand years, and there isn’t much changing left to be accomplished. You would do good to accept that.”

“And this is who I am!” Caroline ran a hand through her hair, ton rising as she spoke. “And I don’t like to fresh-feed, and you can’t force me to do it! Get over yourself and your outdated ideas!”

“Are you just worried about killing someone? Because that is a ridiculous notion. I wouldn’t let you slip!” He seemed genuinely offended at the notion of her not trusting him.

“No! It’s because I don’t want to subject someone else to the same terror that I went through!” The lady shrieked, taking a step towards him.

“They are two completely different things, love. There’s a difference between compelling and feeding upon someone once before healing them, and your circumstance.” Klaus gestured as he spoke, trying to get his point across.

“Maybe so, but I don’t like it!” Suddenly, the lessened distance between the two became apparent as Caroline stopped talking and they were nearly nose-to-nose. One more step would be all it took… Caroline’s thoughts were cut off as the shrill tone of her phone ringing interrupted the silence. Scrambling for the device, she found it in her coat pocket. “Hello?” Sighing, she listened to the caller speak, her angry demeanor fading away to one of joy. “Really? They found it? Ohmygosh, okay, we’re heading back right now! Don’t talk about it without us there!” Smiling, she turned to Klaus as she hung up. “Bonnie found the spell to save Katherine! Kol’s in the middle of translating it to Latin right now, but we need to head back so we can all discuss it!”

As he was not experiencing her elation—for he did not particularly care for the doppelganger—Klaus attempted to contain his disdain while he followed her back to his car. “This conversation is not over, love.”

Rolling her eyes, Caroline decided to put an end to this. “Fine. You know what? I really don’t feel like talking about this, so I’ll consider the possibility in the near future. But I’m not making any hard and fast decisions right now because we need to get back, and personally, the situation back at the manor is more important than my ability to fresh-feed. Can you accept that?”

“We’ll compromise on those terms. For now.” Klaus retorted, causing her to sigh again. This is what happened when two stubborn personalities clashed.

-0-0-0-0-0-

“Okay, we’re here. Sorry it took so long.” Caroline bustled into the parlor, shedding her winter coat and dropping it on the coatrack as she walked in the room.

“It certainly took you two long enough.” Katherine grumbled from her spot on the loveseat, bundled up in blankets. Her face was paler than normal, and her grey hair had begun to show again, leaving her miserable and feeling ugly.

“Not my idea, trust me.” She collapsed into a chair, shooting a glare at Klaus, who just rolled his eyes.

“Whatever. Anyways, the ghostly Original is still up in Bon-Bon’s witchy lair translating the novella they call a spell. The original caster was clearly around the same time as the bitch-witch Quetsiyah, because the damn thing’s written in Aramaic.” Katherine sipped petulantly from her coffee mug, which had previously been resting on the end table beside her. “Bonnie’s up there also, and Elijah just got back from asking Davina to do the spell.”

“Awww, are you pouting because of a lack of attention?” Rebekah sauntered in the room. “Careful Katherine, with your untamed hair and whiny attitude, you’re starting to look like Tatia.” However, when she saw her brother in the room, she paled.

“Rebekah…” Klaus growled, trailing off as his sister got his meaning.

“Wait,” Caroline looked between the two siblings and Katherine. “Who’s Tatia again?” She remembered hearing the name before, but just couldn’t place who it was exactly.

“A mistake.” Klaus turned towards the door, desperately wanting to avoid this conversation.

“Aka, the original doppelwhore.” Rebekah gestured to the doppelganger in the room.

“Actually, you’re wrong.” Katherine rolled her eyes. “Considering the innocent little cupcake named Amara was the progenitor of the doppelganger line way back when her One True Love Silas was around. Tatia was the second we know of, though it’s possible there was another one before her.”

“Can someone explain to me why you all are talking about the village bicycle?” Kol asked as he and Bonnie walked in the room, holding hands, Elijah trailing behind them. The latter sent a look towards Klaus, but simply received a sigh in response. The females in the room simply looked at each other after the youngest brother’s comment. “What? We all know she was sleeping around with half the village!”

“Actually…” Rebekah trailed off, causing her brother to laugh.

“Then I have more idiotic siblings than I originally surmised. Because frankly, the raging little whore’s schemes were obvious to everyone but you two.” Kol rolled his eyes, nodding at his brothers.

Caroline looked between Klaus and Kol. “Wait, you and a Petrova?” She rolled her eyes in disgust, crossing her arms and leaning back into her chair as she looked away. “God, all you men are the same.”

“I take offense at that.” Katherine raised her eyebrows. She always got pissy whenever someone compared her to one of her doppelgangers. She was a person of her own, thank you very much.

“Please.” Rebekah interjected. “I think you’re probably the only person who can say she successfully seduced two sets of brothers.”

The brunette scoffed. “First of all, back then, I was about as much of a blushing virgin as an eighteen-year old, previously knocked up, woman can get. I wasn’t seducing anyone.” She smirked. “Secondly, it was five hundred years ago. Untwist your panties already.”

Then chaos broke out. It started with Rebekah shooting another insult at Katherine, and the two women started bickering. Caroline jumped in every so often, commenting on their repertoire of barbs. On the other side of the room, Klaus and Kol broke into an argument, Bonnie existing as the casual bystander who so happened to be connected—literally—to one of the participants. Behind the ladies, Hayley waddled into the room, for she was already eight months pregnant, and opened her eyes wide at the fighting. Then, she jumped right into the argument with the other ladies, causing World War Three to break out among them.

Elijah looked around the room and made an unamused expression, which went unnoticed by everybody. This was asinine. “Silence!” If there were many unusual things upon this earth, it was that of Elijah Mikaelson shouting. However, it worked, and the room obeyed his command. “Since everyone in this room appears to wish to be treated like children, I shall have to do as such and separate you. Niklaus, you and Caroline take one sofa. Kol and Bonnie, to the other. Rebekah, find a chair. Same with you, Hayley.” The suited Original took a seat beside Katherine on the loveseat—causing said woman to receive a jealous glare from the werewolf in the room—and crossed on leg over the other. When no one made a move, he arched an eyebrow and gestured for them to do so. Once everyone complied, Elijah turned to Bonnie. “Miss Bennett, I believe you had a spell to explain?”

“Yes. I do.” She sighed in relief. If he had not taken charge, she was three seconds away from detaching herself from Kol and screaming at everyone to shut their mouths. Shuffling through the sheaf of papers Kol had translated for her, Bonnie found the appropriate page. “If Kol translated correctly,”

“Which I did.” He interrupted.

Bonnie just continued along. “Then this is a spell meant to counteract the effects of a potion which is degenerative to the human body.”

“But not the cure specifically?” Katherine pursed her lips.

“No, not the cure itself. When you look at it from a magical standpoint, however, the two are basically the same thing. Same effects, same basic ingredients. If you decide to go through with it, the spell will return to you to the same physical state that you were at before taking the cure.”

“Will I be a vampire again?”

“As vampirism did not existence back in this age, there was no evidence within the text to confirm or deny the possibility.” Kol jumped in. “However, the spell does speak of freezing time, so it is a viable prospect.” He stood behind the sofa Bonnie was sitting on, and leaned forward against it, his hands resting upon the back. “Though, there are a few…conditions which must be carried out for the spell to work.”

Bonnie took over at this point, looking around the room. “This is really tricky magic we’re dealing with here. To attempt it more than once on the same person will speed up the process of the cure, either killing you immediately or within hours. And, for the spell to be pulled off, we need people with ties of blood to Katherine to…cement her life force to the earth. Her life won’t be linked to theirs or anything, but something about the magic of that type of bond will assist the spell to completion.”

“Well, there it goes, then.” Katherine fell back into the sofa, miserable. She only had one living family member, and that one was angry with her. Her life officially sucked.

“We could call Nadia.” Caroline popped in. “She might be willing to help.”

“Nadia hates my guts, and even then, that leaves me one person short.” The brunette lady rebutted.

“Katherine. She spent the better part of five hundred years searching for you. I don’t think she hates you after one little argument.”

She sighed. “You underestimate the stubbornness of Petrova women, Caroline.” Katherine sipped from her mug again before speaking once more. “However, since Nadia is able to assist in saving my life, _you_ can call her.” When her blonde friend gave her a ‘bitch, please’ look, she simply returned the favor. “I’m not the one in the wrong here, so I won’t be doing any groveling. The only reason she’s even pissed is because I didn’t want to go run off to Bulgaria with my thirty-something daughter when I was given three months to live. Sorry, but I’m not sorry.”

“Mother of the Year.” Hayley sniped, alerting everyone to her presence.

“Why are you still here?” Katherine shifted around to face the werewolf, disliking the looks Hayley was giving Elijah. He was her man, damn it. Bitches back off.

“Well, I’m sorry that except for the back gardens and doctor’s appointments, I’m under house arrest.” The young woman crossed her arms and pouted.

“Then go garden. Or read something. Or, I don’t know, take up water aerobics. Hell, you can go fuck yourself for all I care. Just don’t bitch at me when we are currently in the middle of a meeting about a spell to save my life. Got it, _Hally_?” Ignoring the looks she was getting from everyone—Caroline and Rebekah were exchanging identical smirks, Bonnie and Klaus looked fairly disgusted, and Kol was impressed, while Elijah seemed the opposite at her delivery—Katherine ignored the disgruntled name correction by the werewolf, and faced Bonnie again. “Bon-Bon, is there anyone else other than my formerly-perceived-to-be-dead-but- _not_ -dead daughter we can use?”

The anchor just looked to Kol and back, exchanging looks, before she sighed. “He thinks there is, and I think it’ll work. I had suggested the Salvatores at first, and then Elena, but with Damon and Stefan the bond is different, and Elena harbors only hate for you, so that still won’t work. We need a bond of love or family; a bond through blood.”

“Yes.” Kol jumped in. “And you see, I seem to remember a certain weekend in London last year…”

“Well, I know where this is going.” Katherine massaged her temples, feeling a headache coming on. During the short weekend Kol had spent with her and Elijah in London, he hadn’t let this incident go.

“And my innocent eyes were forever tainted.” He smirked.

“You haven’t had innocent eyes since you were all of ten.” Klaus interrupted, but Kol just kept going, causing Elijah to stare at the ceiling, and Katherine to roll her eyes.

“I had just come to visit my brother for the weekend before I was to head back to the dreadful Mystic Falls, and lo and behold! I came upon the torrid sight of those two going at it in the office.” Kol laughed at everyone’s horrified expressions. Hayley’s, especially, was amusing. She looked somewhat like a dying frog. He had never enjoyed werewolves very much.

Katherine simply shrugged, not particularly bothered. A thought came to her mind, and she smirked, resting her chin on her hand. “I always did particularly like that desk of yours, ‘Lijah.” When she received a raised eyebrow and amused smile in response, the brunette simply winked.

“Now that we have established that no one wants to visit the London townhouse again, you may expedite your explanation for this sordid tale, Kol.” Klaus motioned for his brother to continue.

Kol rolled his eyes. “You, brother, have become boring.” Sighing, he continued. “Either way, from the ridiculous amount of times I was forced to listen to similar situations over that weekend as someone is annoyingly loud,” Here he shot a glare at Katherine, who just smirked and wiggled her fingers in a half-wave, “I can presume bloodsharing was involved.”

“You would be correct. Continue.” Elijah said calmly, as if he and Katherine’s sex life was not being discussed in front of all of the occupants of the manor. Then again, he had lived with his siblings for a thousand years. They had all accidentally walked in upon another sibling in the act at least once. This was just Kol’s attempt to annoy him.

“Then we’ve got the bond.” Bonnie shrugged, swiftly attempting to move this topic along. “From the research we’ve done, a bond such as that will work for the spell.”

“Fantastic.” Katherine sighed. “Now, I need a nap, so I’ll be heading back upstairs.” She attempted to stand up, but sat back down at the first wave of pain, letting out a whoosh of breath.

“Katerina?” Elijah asked, eyeing her deeply breathing form with concern.

“I’m fine.” She gritted her teeth and stood up through the pain, grasping onto the loveseat arm for support. “Really. I’m fine.”

Sighing exasperatedly, Elijah stood and buttoned his suit jacket. Walking the few steps to Katherine’s side, he reached around her and grabbed her half-full mug of tea before placing it in her hands. “Hold on to that, and don’t argue. It won’t get you anywhere.” She simply smiled and shook her head as he swept her up in his arms and carried her out of the room.

Caroline exchanged looks with Bonnie as this happened, remembering their days of swooning over the stereotypical gentleman. Klaus rolled his eyes and Rebekah shook her head fondly at Elijah’s actions. Katherine was good for him. Kol, on the other hand, viewed the seething werewolf in the corner with disdain, Contrary to popular opinion, he enjoyed seeing his brother happy, and Katherine was more fun than any other woman Elijah had eyes for over the centuries. She could at least hold her own in a verbal debate with him. If the little…baby mama of Nik’s was going to attempt getting in the way, he would find a way to put a stop to that.

-0-0-0-0-0-

“You didn’t have to carry me, you know.” Katherine said as Elijah laid her down on her bed. She drew the blanket over herself as he sat down in the chair beside her bed. It was slightly after noon, and she always took a nap around this time.

“I am aware.” He crossed one leg over the other and reclined. “However, it is what I wanted to do, therefore it was going to happen.”

“You, Mr. Mikaelson, are exceedingly stubborn.” Katherine slipped down in the pillows a bit, covering her mouth with one dainty hand as she yawned. “But, as I have reminded you of that many times before, there is no need to be rebut my statement.” She played with her hair as she looked at her bedspread, contemplating all which had been discussed downstairs.

“Katerina?” She looked up. “Are you afraid?” No further explanation was needed; both knew what he meant.

The lady paused before meeting his gaze. “I do not want to be. After all, I am dying anyways, so if the spell fails, it will simply speed up the process.” She bit her lip. “I am afraid for after I die, though. I am human, after all, and that means I would not go to the Other Side. It would not be like it is with Kol; I wouldn’t simply be able to touch Bonnie and see you, or talk to you. I would be gone, and that is something I wonder about.” Katherine fingered the edge of her bedspread. She did not have a whirl of emotions running through her, merely an overwhelming sense of apprehension. “For the first time since my father kicked me out, I… I feel like I have a home. And I know that does not make sense, and it’s something I would never admit to publically, but I truly feel comfortable here. I have friends, and then there’s the whole thing with you, and even though I really don’t enjoy your brother whatsoever, I see the way he looks at Caroline when he thinks no one’s watching, and I know the monster he used to be has been tamed with her presence. And, well, I don’t particularly spend large amounts of time with Bonnie, so I would not call myself a friend of hers, but she is doing a lot for me. I respect her highly.”

Elijah slid his hand into hers, squeezing lightly. “It will be alright, Katerina. I can hear Caroline calling your daughter now, and I would do a hundred spells just like this for you. Your life will be saved.”

Smiling softly, she yawned once more. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Elijah. When they fail it will only tear you apart more in the end.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes; so much which needed to be said. There was so much they never did—never got to experience—and with the expectancy of Katherine’s life worn down to a fifty-fifty chance, each felt the weight of their relationship weighing upon their shoulders. If only they had communicated better, maybe things would have gone different. If they had just trusted each other more, then maybe Katherine wouldn’t spend every day one step closer to death. If this, if that; if everything was different, where would they be? The what-if’s were a heavy burden to bear.

Still holding her hand, Elijah looked once more at the woman who held his heart. If she died tomorrow, he had to say it one more time. This could not be left unsaid; never again. “Katerina?”

“Yes?” She was struck by the sheer emotion in his eyes, and it nearly took her breath away.

“I know your reasoning for not wishing to pursue anything between us whilst in your current condition, and I do not begrudge you for it. However, I have something to say before I leave you be.” She nodded for him to continue, well aware of where this was going. “Katerina Elisaveta Radomira Petrova.” Katherine blushed at his use of her full name. The fact that he still remembered it from when she told him back in 1492 was ridiculous. And sweet. “I am still as ardently in love with you as I have been for the past five hundred and twenty years, and nothing will change that. Not your life, or your death. And if this spell finishes in our favor, there is no force upon this earth strong enough to stop me from making you mine for eternity.”

Katherine nearly felt her eyes well up at Elijah’s words. He loved her. He truly did. She would have to survive the infernal spell now, if only to spend the rest of her existence at his side. There would be nothing holding them back. Not again. Grabbing his other hand, the lady looked into her love’s gaze and asked, “Elijah, would you kiss me?”

They were a pair who normally did not ask permission, for together they were made of fire and passion, but this time was different. It was time to be soft, and to cherish each other. And when his lips met hers, it was exactly that. An overwhelming feeling of love and tenderness came over the both of them. It was not sparks and fireworks, as it normally was. That was just fine, to the pair. For the place where they were at, a mostly-chaste and tender kiss was what was needed.

All too soon the moment was over, and Elijah stood, releasing her hands as he did so. Brushing a light kiss over her brow once more, he departed Katherine’s bedroom in silence. No words were needed; not then. Snuggling down in her warm covers, Katherine fell asleep, the last thought on her mind of Elijah.

-0-0-0-0-0-

A few hours later, Katherine was woken up by Caroline, Bonnie, and Rebekah standing over her bed. Sitting up slowly, she looked at the three suspiciously. “What’s going on…?”

Caroline smiled. “Tell me, what’s today’s date?”

It dawned on her what was going on. “It’s Christmas Day. And I assume by that look on your face, you have something planned.”

“Caroline’s favorite holiday is Christmas. So yes, she definitely has something planned.” Bonnie laughed. “Get out of bed. We’ve kicked the boys out of the house for a few hours, and we’ve got to get dressed and put everything in place.”

“I’ve made charts!” Caroline smiled. “And Rebekah has all the decorations either being delivered in half an hour or in the trunk of her car, so we need to get all festive-d up, and make this a Christmas to remember!” She giggled, clapping her hands and bouncing slightly. “Anyways, because it’s Christmas and all, I invited Hayley to help with the decorating, so we need to get ready and down there before she does and messes up a chart or something.” Katherine raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment. Sliding out of bed, she was handed a small vial by Bonnie.

“I was in on the plans, so I had Davina make that for you the other day. It’ll take your pain away for around eight hours or so, but it’s highly addictive and hard to make, which is why you haven’t been getting constant supplies of it.” She shrugged. “Anyways, it’ll get you through tonight, so you won’t have a hard time while we’re all celebrating.”

Katherine bit the inside of her cheek, attempting to contain what she felt after the thoughtfulness of Bonnie’s gift. “Thanks, Bon-Bon.” She squeezed the former witch’s hand lightly and smiled, before moving to her closet. “I hope you all are planning on dressing nicer than that, because honestly, I have standards for my friends.” She eyed the jeans and various tops they were wearing.

Rebekah rolled her eyes and grabbed the previously unnoticed dresses off of Katherine’s bathroom door. The brunette also noticed shoeboxes and Caroline’s giant makeup bag lying in wait. “Please. We’re having a family party. Dressing nicely is a given.” She began to pass out the various articles of clothing and Katherine picked a festive-ish dress from her closet; thank goodness she owned a fair amount of red.     She even laughed when she saw Caroline had picked out a pair of kitten heels for her, “Because you shouldn’t have to spend a holiday without your heels on”. Eventually they were all ready and prepared to go decorate the rest of the manor.

Really, when it came down to it, the five women—for Hayley joined the group shortly after they made their way down, calling a temporary truce—did not do much. Rebekah’s version of decorating the manor meant compelling teams of people to come in and tastefully decorate the main hall, parlor, lounge, and a few other places, while they did the tree, which was located in the lounge. Overall, it was just a few hours of fun.

And, that was what Elijah and Klaus came back to three hours later. The main hall had been tastefully decorated with garland on the stairway, and other small decorations. Music was wafting down the hall, and the sight inside the lounge was enough to put a smile on both of their faces.

Caroline, Rebekah, and Katherine were dancing and laughing together to some popular song, each dressed festively. Kol was whisking Bonnie away with his “fabulous waltzing skills, darling”, ‘accidentally’ bumping her into the furniture a few times, causing her to laugh. Hayley was swaying to the music from her position on the couch, a plate of Christmas cookies balanced on top of her stomach.

Just then, Caroline noticed they were back, and she smiled brightly. Rushing over, Santa hat bouncing as she did so, the sunshine girl grabbed Klaus’s hand, tugging on it. “Come and dance!” She laughed.

Shaking his head, but smiling, he pulled back. “I don’t dance, love.”

“Yes you do.” Caroline put her hands on her hips. “I remember a specific ball in which you were a lovely dance partner. Now come on!” Just as Klaus began to relent, Rebekah stopped them.

“You’re under the mistletoe, you two!” The Original sister smirked.

“Seriously? I told you not to put it up!” Caroline stamped her foot, glaring. “There’s too many siblings in this house for that stuff!”

“When have I ever listened to anything you said?” Rebekah shot back, snatching a cookie from one of the trays.

Caroline rolled her eyes. Turning back to Klaus, she scrutinized him. He had a challenging look on his face, and she realized he was waiting for her to do something. Steeling her will—and those incessant butterflies which appeared when he looked at her in _that_ way—she stepped closer and planted a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. Her lips brushed the stubble on his cheeks as she pulled away slowly. “That’s all you’re getting.” She whispered, smiling at his mesmerized look. “Now, come and dance with me!”

“I could never turn you down, Caroline.” He smiled one of his rare genuine smiles, bringing the lovely lady out onto the makeshift dance floor. Looking around the room, he was satisfied. Everyone was happy for once, in stark contrast to their morning. It felt…nice. Who knew Christmas could actually be enjoyable? And yet, it was. His family felt like a real family, for once; even with the extra additions of Caroline, Bonnie, Katherine, and, yes, Hayley. This would be a Christmas he would never forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say that I am so, so, so, sorry that it has taken me this long to update? I finally reached a moment to breathe in college, and I feel terrible that it's taken me this long. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and have a lovely week!
> 
> Thank you all for reading and kudoing!  
> -Abi


	19. Part Two: Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: “This would be a Christmas he would never forget.”

A loud banging interrupted everyone’s sleep early that Monday morning, waking nearly everyone across the house. Or at least, all the vampire personages woke. The others managed to sleep peacefully. Caroline beat everyone downstairs, followed shortly by the Mikaelsons, who all were attired in silk robes over their pajamas. Even early in the morning, the three managed to appear regal. A tinge of inadequacy flew through the baby vampire’s mind for a moment as she thought about her own baggy clothes and messy hair, but it was thrown out of her mind by the incessant pounding. Klaus rolled his eyes and yanked the door open, lazily raising an eyebrow when the sight of a tall, curly-haired, woman appeared on the doorstep. He, however, was cut off from saying anything when the woman pushed her way inside.

“I assume this is the Mikaelson residence?” She asked in a thick Europeans accent. “I would like to see my mother.”

“You must be Nadia!” Caroline plastered on her happiest face after the sleep cleared away from her eyes and she saw the woman properly. She had only seen her once before, and that had been very brief, but they had spoken the previous afternoon. She did not necessarily expect her this soon, however.

Rebekah was torn between disgust and humor when she saw who was standing in her foyer. On one hand, it was her bloody luck to have the chick she had a threesome with show up at her doorstep. Then again, it was also her luck to have the woman be Katherine’s _daughter_. Talk about weird.

“My name is Nadia Petrova, yes. Now may I see my mother?”

“Wonderful.” Klaus muttered. “Another irritatingly undead Petrova. Just what I need.” When he received a glare from everyone in the room, he just rolled his eyes and headed back towards the stairs. “Whatever you decide to do with the little street rat, I don’t care. I’m going back to bed.”

Caroline just waved him off, too tired to deal with drama right now. She turned back to Nadia. “Katherine’s sleeping right now, because it’s like…just after six in the morning, and she normally sleeps for another couple of hours, but you’re welcome to go sit upstairs with her! If you’d like, I can bring you some coffee or tea or something.” Smiling, the blonde held out her hand. “I’m Caroline by the way, and these are Elijah and Rebekah Mikaelson. Klaus is the one who went upstairs.”

“Thank you, Caroline, though it will be unnecessary.” Nadia nodded coolly at Elijah, though greeted Rebekah by name, and the latter responded in kind. “Rebekah and I met in Prague over the summer” was all that was offered by way of an explanation.

They all stood around awkwardly for a few more minutes. “I will take you to see Katerina.” Elijah offered. Nadia agreed brusquely and followed him upstairs.

Caroline yawned, stretching her arms above her head. “Well, I’m not going to be able to go back to sleep after this. I think I’ll make some coffee anyways. You want any?”

“Actually, I kind of want to get out of here. We could go out for breakfast instead?” Rebekah asked, still a bit unsure how this whole friendship thing worked in situations such as this.

The other blonde smiled and nodded. “Yeah. Give me half an hour and I’ll be ready to leave.”

“Great.” With that, the two blondes went to their separate rooms to get presentable.

-0-0-0-0-0-

“So, anything on your mind?” Caroline asked, glancing briefly over the menu at a little breakfast place Rebekah had patronized before.

“A lot, actually.” The Original sighed. “First of all, Matt and I had a threesome with Nadia in Prague.”

“I did _not_ need to hear that. Gotta be a bit awkward, though, to have your former threesome partner show up at your _house_.” Caroline smirked. “Though it explains why Matt always seemed a bit smug around her.” She shrugged. “Next?”

“You aren’t…weirded out by it?” Rebekah asked. “I mean, you’re like Miss Small-Town America. It would be fine if you were.”

“Please.” She rolled her eyes. “Your entire family is a thousand years old. I assume you’ve all had wild orgies by now. Though…hopefully not with each other. That would just be keeping it in the family a _bit_ too much.” Rebekah broke out in laughter, causing Caroline to join in. “I mean, sure, it’s a bit intimidating at times. I can feel like a bit of a child, I guess. But then I’ve grown to realize that you’re all still a bit childish at times, so I don’t really think about it all that much.”

“Good. I’d hate for you to feel uncomfortable.” The other blonde smiled. “Now, for the next topic… How do you feel about Nik having a kid of all bloody things?”

Caroline’s face dropped into a pensive state. “I guess… It’s weird, most of all. Really weird. And I think he could have chosen a better person to sleep with than Hayley, but that was his decision, and I can’t make that choice for him.” She shrugged. “How do you feel about it? I know you wanted the cure for a family and all of that.”

Rebekah took a sip of her latte, closing her eyes and breathing deeply before answering. “I’m jealous.” She pursed her lips. “Nik was never a fan of children as a human, and he is even less so now. But I have always dreamed of a family. I want kids, and a doting husband, and everything that comes with it. It’s just… It isn’t fair that the one who never wanted one is getting a baby.”

“He loves his child, if that’s any consolation.” Caroline feared she may have spoken out of turn, but she felt that Rebekah needed to know her brother was not the cold monster she had a tendency to paint him as. “I’ve seen it, in the way his eyes focus on Hayley’s bump sometimes, and he’s got a stack of sonogram pictures in his desk. I found them one day when looking for a pen. I mean, I don’t know how on earth he’ll act once the baby is born, but he’s, you know, improved a lot. I think he’ll be okay.” Caroline turned to the waiter who came to their table and placed her order. After the man left, she continued. “Besides, you may not be having a baby of your own, but you’re going to be living in the same house as one. You’ll be an integral part in her life.”

“Would you hate me if I asked you to go baby shopping with me after this?” Rebekah winced. “Because we literally have nothing for a baby in that house, and she’s due in like a month.”

Caroline sighed. She did not particularly want to go baby shopping; normally she would have, but she was still having a hard time getting over the fact that it was _Hayley’s_ baby. If it was any other woman, maybe she would have gotten over it more easily. But this was the girl who had done a lot of damage to her life, and really, Caroline just did not like her. It was not even the grudge they mutually harbored against each other, it was just that she did not enjoy her company, and Hayley rubbed her the wrong way. On the other hand, it was not like she would get to go baby shopping for any other kid anytime soon. And they did need a nursery… “Fine.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll go. But only because you’re my friend, and no one should go shopping alone.”

Rebekah laughed. “Get back to your coffee, Forbes. You’re going to need the energy.”

-0-0-0-0-0-

When Katherine woke up, the first thing she noticed—after her eyes took a minute to get into focus—was Nadia sitting on the chair Elijah normally occupied. “You showed” was all she said.

“Yes, I traveled this distance to save your life. You traded Bulgaria for a strange group of people, I must say.” Her daughter crossed her legs, and fixed Katherine with a look that strongly reminded her of one of her sisters.

“I like them, though don’t ask me to admit that publically.” She shrugged. “Besides, they’re the ones who found the spell to save my life. I do owe them.”

“Well, I do hope you will come to your senses and leave this city once the ritual is done. I have tracked down the Petrova family lands, and figured we could take a look.” Nadia looked hopeful, though with an underlying hint of dread. She could not seriously be thinking what she was thinking.

“Yeah… Not going to happen, creepy-vampire-daughter.” Katherine rolled her eyes.

“And why not?”

“Because I have a home here. I have roots being established for the first time in five hundred years, and I will not be giving that up to jet off to backwoods Bulgaria with a woman I have interacted with a handful of times.” She fixed her daughter with a smirk. “I appreciate the help you’re giving me—really, it’s sweet—but I’m not leaving with you, and you knew that when you came here.”

“You,” Nadia spat “Are an extremely selfish woman.”

“And I always have been.” Katherine crossed her arms. “I have been a selfish person since I was born, and that will never change. It would serve you well to get that fact through your head, and accept it.” She knew she was being unnecessarily cold, but Katherine knew how Petrova women worked. It was that damn fire which served to fuel their perseverance. Petrova’s did not give up until they were forced to do so. She had other priorities now; better ways to spend her time than running around spending time with a woman who claimed to be her daughter. This was a necessary step.

“Sometimes,” The woman who was older than her but happened to be her daughter—yeah, _awkward_ —sighed exasperatedly and sunk back into her chair “I wonder why I even care.”

Katherine crossed her arms and huffed. Looks like she was going to have to be nice. If this was motherhood, she was not too fond of it. “Oh, don’t be so damn pouty.” When Nadia met her eyes, she gave her a look. “Petrova women don’t pout unless something truly tragic has happened. Like…if those really sexy Louboutins that make your legs look fabulous aren’t in stock, or if another woman is making a pass on your man, and he lets her.” Smirking, she continued. “Therefore, suck it up. I never said I was cutting you out of my life; I do have a heart. I simply have higher priorities right now. Shoot me an email every so often, and maybe in the future we’ll meet up and do the whole Bulgaria thing, okay?”

The mother of the pair felt her heart melt slightly when her daughter gave her a bright smile. “I can agree to those terms.”

“I’m glad.” Katherine reached over and squeezed Nadia’s hand.

-0-0-0-0-0-

“Okay, so I think this room will work for a nursery. Plenty of natural light, plenty of space, and it’s close to both mine and Nik’s rooms.” Rebekah stood in the center of a room on the family wing of the manor. It was a large bedroom with a spacious closet and ensuite bathroom, just like all of the others. “I’m thinking lavender for the walls.”

“Lavender’s a good choice.” Caroline looked up from one of the many baby books Rebekah had purchased that day. “This says bright colors aren’t good for developing eyes, so more muted ones are better.”

“Well, it’s not like I’d do my niece’s room in hot pink.” The Original scrutinized every inch of what was to be the new nursery. “That’s just tacky. This baby is going to be royalty, you know.”

“Yeah, like, is the whole royalty thing you all have going on just in concurrence with the whole kingdom of New Orleans, or is it something else? Because I’m _seriously_ confused.” Caroline crossed her arms.

Rebekah breathed out sharply through her nose. “Please, Caroline. While my family is desperately fond of New Orleans—we built this city from practically the ground up, after all—it is not a symbol of our status within the supernatural world. Niklaus, Elijah, and I are choosing to take back this city because it should never have been Marcel’s at all. Besides, it does make a lovely place to raise a child, no?” She took out a notepad and, from what Caroline could see, was sketching a design plan for the room. “My family are the progenitors of the vampire species. We are the Original Family, and the name Mikaelson is synonymous with royalty in the supernatural world. To be in the favor of one of us is a highly valued prize. It is why Kol drew bands of witches to his aid, and Niklaus was able to attract packs of werewolves for his hybrid army so easily. Each of us has our own contacts; our own private group of followers.”

Caroline was awestruck. Excepting for a few times—the night of their ball being one, where the glitz and glamour struck her full-force—she had always seen the Originals as slightly more dangerous and scary people than her and her friends. She never considered how…revered they could be. “You… Your family could have decimated my friends and I back home, and yet you didn’t. You were never really trying, were you?”

The ancient woman laughed. “Not particularly. Sure, there were a few moments I genuinely feared for my family, but not many.” She shrugged. “Our time in Mystic Falls was more like something out of another life; it was an attempt at a reset for my brothers and I. We were weary of our lifestyle, and Mystic Falls was our home first, after all. Even with the new construction and decimation of the best spots, the town still felt like it could be enjoyable. And so we stayed.”

“I just… I never really considered your family like that. I don’t know why. It just wasn’t like that for me. I mean, you all were scary and more than a little bit intimidating, but it just never really took root in my mind how the rest of the world viewed the Originals.” Caroline was about to continue her thought when Klaus’s voice resonated through the hall.

“Bekah! There are a fleet of what appears to be delivery men at the front door carrying an obscene number of packages which is ridiculous for even _your_ shopping expeditions, so could you please clarify to me what in the bloody hell is going on?” His footsteps could be heard making their way to where the two women had been chatting.

“We’re decorating the nursery, Nik!” Rebekah cocked her head to the side sweetly, laying on the ‘darling baby sister’ vibe thick.

Klaus’s eyes flickered between his sister and Caroline, confused. “Her idea, not mine.” The latter gestured. “I just wanted to go grab coffee, and instead got dragged along on a four-hour shopping trip involving fifteen stores and so many fancy baby items it gave me a headache. And I don’t even know if vampires can _get_ headaches.”

“Oh, you enjoyed it.” Rebekah nudged the other blonde with her hip. “Especially the little tiny dresses at that last store. I could barely drag you away.”

“Baby clothes are just so cute!” The younger vampire crossed her arms and pouted at the amused looks she was getting. “You can’t judge me, Ms. ‘I must spend fifteen minutes choosing between three different crib bedding sets before picking the one I liked first’. Which, will lavender even work with that one?”

“It’s a pale green with purple flowers and sheep. It’ll match.” She affirmed.

Klaus sighed and ran a hand through his hair at the prospect of a room decorated with _sheep_ of all bloody things in his house. Why on earth was he having a child again? Oh, that’s right, somehow or another the stuff down there still worked and here he was, eight months later, with _sheep_ being put into a nursery. Why anyone would ever willing want children was lost upon his mind. “I’ll go let them in. But remember you are all meeting at that old church at nine for the spell, so I would have your decorators gone by then.”

“Don’t worry Nik! We’ll make the room perfect for my little niece soon enough!” Rebekah laughed as he exited, teasing.

“So I’m decorating now as well?” Caroline crossed her arms, eyebrow raised. “Wish I had gotten that memo before now.”

“You went shopping, therefore you’re my co-decorator.” Rebekah retorted, glaring. She would get help with this. “Look, I think you loathe Hayley just slightly more than I do, but you’ve got to stop thinking of the baby as her kid and more as my brother’s okay? I mean…the little werewolf has all but signed a contract stating that, once she gives birth and recuperates, she’s out the door. She won’t be around for the next eighteen years—thank all holy things for that—and if you want to continue your association with this family, you’re going to have to accept the imminent child.”

The younger woman sighed. “I know. I’m coming to terms with it.” She continued on, laughing. “And you’re not getting rid of me that easily, Mikaelson. I will have you know that you’re going to have to put up with me for quite a long while.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way, Forbes.”

-0-0-0-0-0-

“Are we ready to get this shit done?” Kol asked, his hand on the small of Bonnie’s back.

They had all gathered in Davina’s little room above the church, the group of people clumping together in the room. Everyone but Klaus was present, for he had agreed to play Marcel’s distraction after some wheedling by Caroline, and really, he had had no great interest in watching a witch he had never spoken to before perform some spell on the woman he loathed for five hundred years. Caroline and Rebekah came along as Katherine’s mental support team, and they stood together in the corner of the room, just staying out of the way. Kol was there to co-coach Davina with Bonnie, and Elijah and Nadia were participants in the spell.

“If anyone’s ready to ‘get this shit done’ as you so delicately put it, it’s me.” Katherine groaned, in pain as she laid down upon the table which had been set up in preparation for this spell. She was just ready to be…not dying. Elijah stood by her head, Nadia at her feet. She breathed in deeply, waiting for the spell to begin.

Davina squeezed Katherine’s hand, smiling slightly. “I know you’re putting a lot of faith in me, but Bonnie and Kol have been good teachers. I believe I can do this.” The dying women just nodded, steeling herself. “Um… Would you like to…say anything before I knock you out? I mean, just on the really slim chance I fail?”

Katherine looked at those who were standing beside her, and at the women on the far side of the room. She reached her hand out to Elijah, and when he took it, squeezed lightly. “They know.” The brunette sighed, closing her eyes as Davina chanted a quick spell to make her slip into unconsciousness.

“Alright. Then, let’s get started.” Bonnie smiled reassuringly. “Davina, you have the pages Kol and I translated?” Her protégé nodded at the stack of papers which contained the spell, now in Latin. “Okay. Then light the candles.” Davina waved her hand, and the rows and rows of candles stationed throughout the room came to life. “Now, I want you to focus on the full moon outside. Feel the power, and draw upon it. Your body will channel the power into your magic, enhancing the intensity of the spell and increasing your wellbeing at the end of this.” Davina closed her eyes and concentrated. “Got it?” When the witch nodded, breathing calmly and deeply, she continued. “Alright. Now, repeat after me as I begin reciting the spell. The part where we need our participants is not until the end.”

The witch and the anchor continued in this manner through an obscene amount of pages, working their way through segment by segment. Every so often the candles would flare up, or the air would seem to crackle with the magic being performed in that attic in New Orleans. Soon, however, the stack of pages grew smaller and smaller, until Kol gestured for Elijah and Nadia to step forward. Their part was coming up.

Davina began the last page of the spell, her body tingling with the magic flowing through her. The combined magic of the other three girls as well as herself had lain dormant for so long, and for the first time since The Harvest, she felt like she was meant to be something great. _“cinis cinerem, terram ad pulverem,”_ She repeated after Bonnie, feeling the tensing of the power within her as the spell came to its climax. _“hoc sacramento corpus restituere,”_ The witch looked up at Nadia, who stood before her. It was time. _“et sanguis in domo,”_ She drew the ritual knife Kol had known where to procure, and reached for the vampire’s hand. Slicing Nadia’s palm, internally wincing at the sound of flesh slicing, Davina took the bloody hand, and placed it, in order, on Katherine’s forehead and heart, and then let the remaining drops of blood seep into her mouth. _“et sanguis in corde,”_ Davina repeated this same process with Elijah, who looked upon Katherine with a mixture of hope and trepidation as his lifeblood fell into her throat. _“sana quod est nocere, mutare consilium In Fatis, quam quod amissum est, `reverti ad tempus,”_ Now it was time for the very final portion. Whether or not she had managed to fail or complete this spell to victory would be revealed within a few seconds. _“reddere salute, sanitatem, restituere animam,”_ The witch’s voice grew louder and louder as she chanted the last few lines, her effort to channel as much power as possible into this spell evident. _“nam nunc et usque in aeternum”._ She stopped, breathing deeply. The spell was finished.

Everyone looked at the limp Katherine, expressions filled with worry and undisguised anticipation. This could either send them into unending joy, or disastrous grief. Then, the vampires in the room picked up one something which was not there anymore.

Katherine did not have a heartbeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am terribly sorry for not updating in so long. This first semester of college has flown by, and I'm involved in so many different activities that writing fanfic took a backseat for me. Anyways, I'll be updating the rest of the story hopefully tonight, if not over the next few days, around studying for finals, so yeah. Thanks for putting up with me, everyone!  
> -Abi


	20. Part Two: Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: ‘Katherine did not have a heartbeat.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you just reading today--12/4/15--I double-updated, so go back and read chapter 19 first.

One minute.

One minute thirty seconds.

Two minutes.

Five minutes went by, with Katherine Pierce still lying on the table, still with no heartbeat. With the light in the room low, as most of the candles burned out when Davina stopped the spell, it was indiscernible as to whether or not there was any change to her physiological appearance.

By the ten minute mark, the entire room was holding their breaths. Thoughts that she may really have died crept into their minds, and the niggling feeling of doubt started to take root.

After fifteen minutes of nothing, people started getting antsy, fidgeting around and waiting for something to happen.

Rebekah broke the unspoken vow of silence when it hit twenty minutes of no movement. “Shouldn’t there be something by now?” She asked.

“I don’t know, okay?” Davina snapped. She was fearing she had failed.

It was slightly after the clock struck thirty minutes since Davina ceased the spell that Katherine woke up. The woman took in a deep breath as she raised herself into a sitting position, scaring everyone senseless. All at once, chatter erupted, everyone throwing questions at her. Stress and relief and a weird sense of apprehension rolled over Katherine in waves, overwhelming her. As her breathing picked up and her heart began racing, a sense of dizziness overcame her as the brunette attempted to calm herself through the really weird rush of emotions; she was failing desperately. Vaguely she heard Elijah quiet everyone, but his presence was especially made known to her when he took her hand gently, his voice murmuring in Bulgarian. As Katherine returned to normal once more, breathing deeply, she spoke. “Since you all seem to have a ridiculous amount of questions, let’s do one person at a time.” She completely glossed over the fact that she had a panic attack, wishing to ignore it if she could. It was probably just a side-effect of the spell. “Bon-Bon, how about you first?”

Bonnie rolled her eyes at the nickname, but smiled. It was better than _Bunny_ at any rate. “How are you feeling? Do you feel…different?”

Katherine raised an eyebrow, still holding Elijah’s hand as if it were a lifeline to sanity. “Well I don’t feel like I’m dying anymore, so that’s a perk. But I’m not a vampire, I can tell you that.”

“So you’re human, then?” Caroline could not resist jumping in.

The formerly near-dead woman closed her eyes and appeared to internalize for a moment. “No. But I really would like some blood. Like… Now. I’m _starving_.” She gasped the last word, pupils dilating as she looked around at everyone. Confusion flowed in her mind, as if it were coming from all around her, but Katherine brushed it off.

Bonnie and Kol exchanged worried looks. “Davina,” Kol said “do you remember how to do the diagnostic spell?” His eyes flickered between Davina and Katherine. “I think we are going to need it.”

The witch darted to her bed, grabbed a folder which was wedged under the mattress, and came back to the table Katherine was on. “I’ve got it somewhere in here… Got it!” She pulled out a short, one page, spell, and a second page attacked with some sort of runic combination on it. “Katherine, I need you use this and drop a couple drops of blood on here.” Davina handed her the knife she had used in the spell, waiting expectantly.

“And what on earth are you going to be doing to me?” Katherine asked skeptically.

“It’s a spell which reads your being. It’ll determine what’s going on with you. Don’t worry… I’ve practiced this one on Bonnie before. It’ll work.”

“And you almost singed my hair off last time.” Bonnie snickered, shooting her protégé a wink, causing Davina to pout.

“Whatever.” She retorted. “Now, your blood?” Katherine sighed and sliced her palm, letting the required amount of blood drip onto the parchment.

Katherine smiled when her cut closed up, raising her hand to show her lack of a wound off. “Well, whatever’s going on with me, I heal quickly.”

“That’s fantastic!” Caroline said as Davina chanted. “Now you’re going to be back to your old self again!”

“Oh, yes I will.” The brunette smirked, feelings of happiness invading her from all around. Then again… What was that tinge of worry she felt? Because she had no reason to be worried… Whatever. Maybe she had gone crazy or something. It was not that far off of an idea. “Does anyone have any blood? Because seriously, I’ve got a major craving and I want it _n_ —”

“Shit.” Kol cut Katherine off, effectively drawing the attention of everyone in the room. His fingers were tracing the markings on the second page Davina had chanted over, tracing the runic combinations which appeared because of the spell

“Kol… What does this mean?” Bonnie looked at him worriedly before glancing back down at the page. “I’ve never seen this combination before, and my Grams had a whole grimoire full of possibilities.”

The ancient former-warlock-and-current-ghost sighed. “That’s because this is a sign I have not seen in nearly a thousand years.”

“Well that makes me feel all fucking cheery, now doesn’t it?” Katherine looked at the three magic-nuts, quite pissed. “Great. Now I’m apparently some freakish supernatural entity. Like being a fucking doppelganger wasn’t enough.”

“Katerina, you should calm down.” Elijah cautioned.

“Don’t you ‘Katerina’ me, Elijah Mikaelson!” She snapped. “I’m the one who’s apparently a fucking magnet to everything weird and supernatural, not you!” Katherine rotated on the table, facing Kol. “Spill, Ghostly Original.”

Kol smirked. “You, Kitty Kat, are going to be fun to have around.”

“Oh, I’m always fun.” She winked, causing Kol to throw his head back in laughter. “Now, stop deflecting and tell me what the hell’s going on.”

“Fine, Kitty.” Bonnie raised an eyebrow at his nickname for Katherine, but she could tell it was all harmless fun. “You want the truth? You’re an immortal being now. Not quite vampire, but definitely not human.”

“Oh dear god please tell me she’s not the next bloody Silas.” Rebekah interjected. “Because seriously, I do not need Katherine Pierce of all people running around with psychic powers.”

“Thanks Beks. Tell me how you really feel.” Katherine shot over her shoulder.

“I must not tell lies!” The Original retorted.

“You know Harry Potter?” Caroline turned to Rebekah, shocked. “Weren’t you locked in a coffin during that time period?”

Rebekah scoffed. “It was listed as the top pop-culture icon of the past couple of decades. Kol and I binge-watched all eight movies in a weekend.”

“And then she went around the house wearing these obscene vegetable earrings, going on and on about Nargles for a week! She nearly drove Nik mad!” The aforementioned Original brother laughed.

“You’re the one who set all his ringtones to Voldemort’s voice saying ‘Avada Kedavra’ in multiple languages!”

“At least I’m not the one who force-fed all of us that horrendous butterbeer concoction laced with blood!” Kol nearly gagged at the thought as everyone else looked on both amused and disturbed. “It was going to be good, she said! It was going to taste even better, she said!” He shook his head, deadly serious. “It was the worst thing I have ever consumed on this earth.”

“Are you sure these two are related to you?” Katherine asked, not-so-quietly. “Because Klaus is seeming normal right now, and that’s _not_ a compliment.”

“At times, Katerina, I very much consider the possibility.” Elijah looked upon his siblings, though he was amused. Kol and Rebekah had been partners in crime even as children, and it was a nice thing to see that some things did not change, no matter how many years it had been. “As enlightening as this conversation has been, however, I must ask you brother, to further expatriate upon what exactly is happening to Katerina.”

“Elijah, always the peacekeeper.” The youngest brother smiled sarcastically. “Fear not, Kitty here is perfectly fine. She’ll need blood to survive again, but that’s nothing new. Oh, and she’s going to be prone to mood swings and panic attacks from now on. Nothing serious.”

“Way to charm the ladies.” Bonnie snorted, elbowing him in the side; though, not very much force was put behind it, considering she and Kol were holding hands by this point. Really, it was just the easiest form of contact. That’s all. “No, but really, what’s going on?”

“Darling, I thought it was obvious.” Kol smirked and turned to the literal immortal in the room. “You’re an empath, Katherine.”

-0-0-0-0-0-

By the early hours of the morning, everyone had left Davina’s apartment. Thanks was given to the young witch, who just asked they visit her every so often in return, for it could get extremely boring all by her lonesome. Klaus had been told he could stop distracting Marcel and go back home, where they all collapsed into their various separate beds, Nadia taking up one of the remaining guest rooms in the manor.

Around noon, after everyone managed to get a bit of sleep, the manor came to life again. Nadia stated shortly after brunch that she was leaving to visit some old Traveller friends of hers.

“I was serious about emailing me, you know.” Katherine said as she and Elijah stood on the porch, wishing her daughter farewell. Everyone else had made their goodbyes known inside.

“I will keep in touch.” Nadia smiled, leaning in for a quick hug.

“Good. Because, you know, you may be way older than me physically, but I’m still your mother. Therefore if you like…get your heart broken or whatever you thirty-somethings are doing these days, then I need to know whose heart to rip out, alright?” Katherine babbled, feeling more emotional than perhaps she should have. Stupid empath thingy. She could feel her daughter’s emotions, and it was affecting her now, damn it.

“Take care of my mother, Elijah.” Nadia smiled sadly.

He nodded. “I feel we will be seeing one another in the future.”

Katherine sniffled as her daughter got into the waiting car which was to take her to the airport, a sense of safety and love overcoming her and Elijah wrapped his arm around her waist. There was also something else in his emotions… She turned and faced Elijah, scrutinizing him for a moment. Apparently satisfied with whatever her new empath-thingy senses picked up, she grabbed his hand and hurried them both through the house, flying past a waddling Hayley, who shouted in protest, but was ignored. Katherine stopped at Elijah’s designated office, dragging him inside and locking the door.

“Did you mean it?” She snapped, crossing her arms. He just stood there smirking. Damn it, why did he have to enjoy their games so much.

“Whatever do you mean, Katerina?” He raised an eyebrow in that damning way he so enjoyed.

Katherine rolled her eyes. “Don’t play the idiot, Elijah. It’s not an attractive look.”

“Did _you_ mean it?” Elijah shot the same words back at her.

“Of course I meant it! Just because I didn’t say it the day before last doesn’t mean I didn’t mean it!” The brunette snarled, stepping closer.

“And just because I said it when you were dying does not mean I did not mean it.” He said, keeping his usual calm demeanor as he stepped to her.

“Good!” Katherine could feel the lust radiating off of both of them in waves, and it was nearly overwhelming her.

“I always did enjoy you when you were angry.” Elijah traced his fingers over her collarbone and down her arm with a feather-light touch.

“Too bad I’m not angry, then.” She whispered, fingering his tie.

“Pity.”

“No, not at all.” Katherine leaned into his touch as he caressed her cheek.

“I promised to catch you, Katerina, and I do not break promises lightly. There will be no going back, after this.” Elijah warned, but all she felt was happiness and satisfaction. And a shit ton of lust.

“You also promised me an eternity together. This is me holding you to it.” Katherine breathed as she wrapped her hand around his tie, yanking Elijah down to meet her in a bruising kiss.

Elijah flashed them over to the desk, hoisting Katherine up onto it as they continued kissing. His hands raked up her sides and around, before he ripped her blouse straight down the middle, buttons flying every which way, the flimsy dark red material crumpling on the floor like a pool of blood. There was a squeal of protest from Katherine, but he shut her up with a scorching kiss. “You planned this.” Elijah realized, remembering the lingerie she was wearing.

“Did I specifically change into the matching set you bought me before I dragged you in here… Yes. There were a few variables involved, but that’s a moot point. Now stop talking.”  Katherine breathed in his ear before kissing her way down to his collarbone. “This,” she tugged on his suit jacket before moving to shove it down his shoulders “needs to disappear.”

“You’re very eager today, Katerina.” Elijah wrapped a hand through her curls, yanking the immortal’s head back as he ravished her throat with kisses. He could feel the veins rippling under his eyes as he took in the scent of her intoxicating lifeblood; bloodsharing had always been their thing, after all.

“Elijah.” Katherine gasped. “Bite me.” She could feel him smirk against her neck, ignoring her request, though she could feel his desire for her--both physically and with what had been labeled her ‘empath abilities’. She gritted her teeth against his stubborn proclivity to draw out her satisfaction for as long as inhumanly possible, but the exasperation turned into pleasure as he finally bit down. It was only with him that she liked to be bitten. Only with him.

Downstairs, everyone was gathered in the parlor. Even Hayley was sitting somewhat peacefully among the rest of the manor residents, for once. Their silence was interrupted, however, by banging noises and various moans and screams radiating from upstairs. Everyone looked up the ceiling, wondering what on earth was going on, but a few seconds later, it dawned on the vampires in the room.

“I suggest everyone leave fairly swiftly.” Kol smirked. “Those two will literally go at it for hours, and the banging is just going to get worse.” He laughed as everyone gave him disgusted looks. “There will probably be a furniture truck here within the next day or two.” The Original winked, enjoying Hayley’s miserable facial expression. Oh, looks like the little wolf would not be sinking her talons into his brother anytime soon! Not that he would ever allow such a ghastly thing to happen.

“Ohmygod.” Rebekah stood up as a particularly loud scrape sounded from above. “I’m leaving. I can’t take this anymore.”

“Take me with you!” Hayley whined, causing Rebekah to appear as if she smelt something nasty.

“Fine.” The Original Sister heaved a sigh, just wanting to get the hell out of there. She flashed upstairs and grabbed her purse and keys, before coming down, looking slightly queasy. “Let’s just go before I have to withstand more of their obscene screams of pleasure.” She shot a wink to Kol covertly, laughing as Hayley turned red with rage. He and Bonnie followed on their heels, slipping out the door with only a quick goodbye.

Caroline laughed and grabbed Klaus’s arm. “Since I’m sure you don’t want to go with those two, you’re coming with me.” He rolled his eyes and stood.

“And what might we be doing, love?”

“We,” She smiled “are going to do something relatively normal and time-consuming, and see a movie. And don’t worry, I won’t pick a chick-flick!”

“Really, Caroline?” Klaus huffed as she dragged him out of his chair.

“It’s that or listen to Kalijah have sex. Or you could always carry my bags at the mall.” Caroline smirked devilishly.

The Hybrid grabbed his keys off the hook by the front door as they walked out. “No romance movies. And I am only doing this under duress.”

“Please.” The lady scoffed. “You’re doing this because you’re bored. Besides, how could you pass up my _marvelous_ company?”

“One would have to be a fool to pass up the pleasure of _your_ company, Caroline.”

-0-0-0-0-0-

“How on earth are you supposed to be doing this again?” Kol leaned up against a gnarled tree as Bonnie stood in the sunlight, breathing in her surroundings.

It was two days after everyone fled the manor in the wake of his brother and Kitty’s torrid sex, and honestly, the pair had been nearly unbearable since. They were in what Caroline had labeled ‘the honeymoon stage’, but all he saw was a shit ton of getting their freak on—which was apparently some hip lingo the youth of this era used as a euphemism for sex, and, well, Kol refused to be anything but the epitome of hip—in random hallways or rooms. Or around the rest of them. Honestly, the amount of times he noticed hands wandering was just foul, even for his perverted mind. But either way, Katherine and Elijah’s inability to stay off of each other certainly made for an interesting dynamic, because the Wolf-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named seemed to enjoy waddling into their encounters and interrupting them. Kol was not quite sure if she was into voyeurism, or if she just enjoyed the art of cockblocking. It was probably the former.

Either way, he and Bonnie had finally found time to get away, escaping to an abandoned clearing outside of the city. It was a perfect place for her to exercise her anchor powers, and, well, he just enjoyed watching her.

“Kol. If I knew what I was supposed to be doing, don’t you think I would have done it by now?” Bonnie heaved a sigh, exasperated.

“Just asking, doll. You look a bit lost.”

“You’re so supportive!” She threw her hands up before crossing her arms.

“Have you tried your grandmother?” Kol asked, brainstorming. “After all, did she not give you this information in the first place?”

“Been there, done that.” Bonnie stomped over to where he stood, sliding down the tree trunk until she was sitting on the ground. She leaned her head back against the wood. “I want this. I miss my magic; I miss the power and the feeling that came with it. It felt like…”

“It felt like coming home.” He interjected. Bonnie realized he had joined her on the ground, mimicking her position. “And now that you don’t have it, there’s an overwhelming sense of grief and loss inside your gut, eating away at your every thought and hope, because your entire life had revolved around the fact that you had magic. Now that it’s gone, you don’t know what to do with yourself.” Neither said anything for a moment, for Kol had put her thoughts directly into words. Instead, Bonnie reached over and took his hand. They simply sat there for a while, both grieving the loss of what had been parts of their soul; Kol had lived without his for over a thousand years, Bonnie for not even a year, and still the absence of magic in their lives was emotionally devastating.

Suddenly, Kol stood and drew Bonnie up with him, for they were still holding hands, and brought her out into the clearing. “What are we doing?” She asked, curious at what exercise her favorite magical expert had conjured up now.

“You mentioned it is your bloodline’s power which is accessible to you, correct? And you can use it through your position at the Anchor, which essentially makes you the gateway between all supernatural things, living and dead.”

“That’s right.” She nodded.

“Okay.” He smiled—a real smile, and not just one of his smirks for once—and the sight of that smile made Bonnie’s inside twist and turn in a way they had never before. “I think I know of a way you can do this.” As she let out a soft laugh and gestured for an explanation, Kol continued. “We need to find something dead or dying… Like a plant or a bug or something. Hell, even an animal will work. I think—through your abilities as anchor—that you should be able to channel bits and pieces of your ancestor’s power and bring small things back to health without the use of a blood ritual, therefore preparing you for a larger-scale event.”

“Like The Harvest.” Bonnie grinned, her nose beginning to crinkle as she did so. “Kol, you’re a genius.”

“Darling, you’re the one with a wealth of untapped potential here. I may be a genius, but you have all the ability.” He smirked, causing her to roll her eyes, though the tinge of red on her cheeks did not go unnoticed with his keen eye.

“Whatever. Anyways, I think I need to get to work on this whole…channeling thing. After all, I don’t want to accidentally bring back a clan of witches or whatever instead of you, Davina, and the other three girls.” Bonnie crossed her arms. She looked on the ground around her, before picking what looked like a weed to step on. She ground her foot into the thing a few times, before stepping back. “Is that nearly-dead enough to practice on, or do I need to stomp on it some more?” She raised her eyebrows at Kol’s laughter.

“That’s plenty dead, Bunny.”

“Oh, stop being such a pretentious ass.” Bonnie rolled her eyes. When he opened his mouth to speak again, she held up a finger. “Shh. I’m channeling.”

Kol simply shook his head, amused, and watched. Bonnie had knelt next to the—by now—very dead weed, and cupped her hands over it. Her eyes were closed, and she had her focusing-face on. To him, she was exquisite. It took a few minutes of her channeling and his watching, but when Bonnie relaxed back onto her heels, a satisfied smile on her face, he knew it had worked. The formerly dead weed was now looking healthier than ever. “Looks very…alive, darling.” He nodded towards it, holding a hand down to help her up. “Any side effects?” Kol never received an answer, however, as a ghost appeared in the clearing with them. Knowing her preferred routine for times such as this, Kol simply stood slightly to the side as the ghost passed through Bonnie, and then comforted her through the pain afterwards.

“Before that, I was fine. Thanks.” The Anchor gasped, regaining her breath as he rubbed her back soothingly. She took a step away, though Kol still continued to worry. “Anyways, let’s find something else for me to maim and then fix. I need to get this right.”

-0-0-0-0-0-

“You want to do what to me?” Davina shrieked, shooting off of her bed. “I thought you were my friend! I thought you didn’t want me dead! But now I find out you’re just using me to get your boyfriend back? That feels really great Bonnie. Thanks.”

“Davina, calm down.” Kol warned. “You are overreacting.”

“Overreacting? Really?” The witch turned to him. “You would say that. You’re the one getting brought back to life.”

Bonnie closed her eyes tightly for a moment, collecting herself, before she walked over to her protégé and friend. “Davina. I will bring you back to life. I promise. Nothing bad is going to happen to you.”

“Yeah, and how are you going to do that? You’re not a witch anymore, Bonnie.”

“I know.” She snapped. “But I am the Anchor and I’ve been practicing this. I can bring you and the three other girls back to life; I know it. I am as sure in this as I was that you could be properly be taught magic.”

“I don’t want to die, Bonnie!” Davina whimpered. “You were supposed to help me not do that.”

Bonnie placed her hands on the young witch’s shoulders, forcing eye contact. “Davina. Do you trust me?” The brunette sighed and closed her eyes briefly before nodding. “Okay then. Right now, I’m just asking you to trust that I will bring you back to life. I’m not a power-hungry Elder from your coven, okay? I’m your friend, and if there is one thing that title earns you, it is that I will do everything in and beyond my power to keep you alive, understand?”

“I thought you said you didn’t believe in The Harvest.” Davina sighed, taking a step back.

“I don’t.” She agreed. “But Kol and I will be editing the spells so that I can hijack the power from it, and with the combination of the Bennett magic, we will re-route it into bringing him, you, and the other three girls back to life. I still think the whole Harvest ritual is a load of bullshit, but from a magical perspective, the site of four blood sacrifices is extremely powerful. We’re taking a myth and turning it in our favor, okay?” Bonnie smiled reassuringly, comforted by Kol’s hand on her waist, grounding her.

Davina looked at the ground and then back up to Bonnie and Kol. “You legitimately believe this will work?”

“I do.” Bonnie said, Kol echoing her statement.

“Okay. Then I’m trusting you two. But _don’t_ screw this up.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Bonnie squeezed her protégé’s hand. “Now, I need to try and get Monique’s aunt to do the spell without her realizing that we’re bringing Kol back as well, so I really have to go. I’ll stop by tomorrow so we can hang out, okay?”

“Yeah. Sure.” Davina nodded, a bit unsure about this whole thing. But then again, it was Bonnie here. She trusted her.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Klaus and Caroline were taking one of their routine walks around the back gardens, wandering and chatting aimlessly. Over the time Caroline had been in New Orleans, their friendship had grown even deeper from the level it had been at back in Mystic Falls, and they were aware of the mutual attraction between them. Yet currently, their relationship was on the backburner. Needless to say, things rated higher on the priority scale in the midst of all which was going on.

However, one of Klaus’s compelled spies within Marcel’s ranks, who came speeding up to them, interrupted them from their talk. “Klaus, Klaus!” He was clearly a newborn vampire, as the young man still felt the human urge to continue breathing, though it was an unnecessary habit after one turned.

“Whatever do you need, Cyrus?” Klaus asked, unhappy at being interrupted during one of the only quiet moments he received with Caroline during the day.

“It’s Marcel and Tyler.” The words sputtered out of the spy’s mouth. “I hadn’t thought anything of it because you don’t question Marcel, you know, and now that Tyler’s the second-in-command basically since Thierry is in the Garden, you don’t question him either, but today I figured out that something was really, really, wrong.”

“What is going on?” Caroline asked, and Klaus could tell she was confused but curious.

“There is a plan in place to take down your entire family and everyone associated with you.” Cyrus said nervously, clearly hoping he was not about to die. “Marcel’s going to start preparing for it within the next few days.” He went on, giving them a few more details, but the basic summary was simply what had been first stated. There was a plan to take down the family, and in Klaus’s book, this was unacceptable.

Klaus turned to Caroline, waving his minion off. “Love, I hope you were serious about wishing to go to war, because this is it.”

“They made the first move.” She smirked deviously, an expression he liked very much on her angelic face. “They have taken the steps to start this, therefore anything we do serves as defense of your family. It’s time for us to counter, and take back what is rightfully yours.”

Klaus broke into a devilish grin, matching the one on Caroline’s face as he extended his arm for her to take on their journey back to the manor. “Sweetheart, let us go make war.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes for this chapter are pretty much the same as the last. Thank you all for reading, and I hope that you're all well!  
> -Abi


	21. Part Two: Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: “Sweetheart, let us go make war.”

“Bon, why do we need to be here, exactly?” Caroline, Katherine, and the Mikaelsons stood in front of the gate of an abandoned cemetery in New Orleans. Bonnie was waiting just inside the entrance, Davina, Kol, and that witch chick—Sophie was her name—beside her. “I thought we were planning on going to some of the New Year’s Eve celebrations downtown…” Her question, however, faced into the background as Elijah caught on.

“You wish to complete The Harvest… But why? And Davina, I was under the impression you were against this entire process.” He said.

“Sophie, I believe there was preparation to do before we go through with this, right?” Bonnie deflected, handing the witch a thin folder. “You mentioned you were unaware of the exact spell which needed to be used, so Kol and I did a bit of research and found it.” Sophie rolled her eyes, grumbling about not taking orders from a teenaged former-witch, but complied. When she was sufficiently out of earshot, the Anchor continued. “To make a very long story short,”

“Bonnie is going to use The Harvest to bring me back to life.” Kol interrupted, receiving a smack on the arm from the lovely lady beside him.

“I wanted to tell them.” She huffed. “Ass.”

“You seem to have an obsession with my ass, darling. Anything I need to know about?” Kol winked, though all this earned him was a half-snort and an exasperated expression.

“…You’re actually serious?” Rebekah asked tentatively, as if she was afraid she was dreaming. “Because frankly, if this is a joke then I swear to you, I will _actually_ murder you.”

“I am one hundred percent serious.” Bonnie assured. “I would explain everything, but we really don’t have the time. Basically, I will utilize one of the perks of my new supernatural position, and bring Kol and all four girls back to life.”

Katherine nodded in approval. “I’m impressed, Bon-Bon. Emily couldn’t have this off.” She bobbed her head in the direction Sophie had disappeared off to. “I assume you’ve given Witchy some carefully edited spells, so that she’ll unwittingly bring my…third favorite Original back to life?”

“I’m only the third, Kitty?” Kol pouted. “My tender heart is wounded.”

She shot him a sarcastic smile. “You rank slightly below Rebekah. Take that as a compliment.”

“I don’t know whether to be offended or flattered…” The Original sister grumbled.

“Anyways...” Bonnie cut in just as she saw that this conversation was not going to cease itself. She was flattered Katherine seemed to approve of her skills. The woman had been close with the most notorious witch of her family line, and to be compared to _Emily_ —the woman she had always looked up to—was exceedingly good for her ego. “We all should hurry up; magic is strong as one year dies and the next begins. Not to mention the moon is still full in the sky.” Davina turned to the vampires still outside of the cemetery and invited them in; though really, it was only Caroline who needed the invitation; the Mikaelsons were already invited, and Katherine was not a vampire. “You still up for this?” Bonnie asked the young witch. Bonnie was confident in her own ability to get this done—she and Kol had spent a good two days practicing—but it would be foolish for Davina to not be a little bit frightened.

Davina looked at the ground, and then back to her mentor. “I’m scared.” She admitted, giving her a half-smile. “But at the same time, I have faith that you will bring me back. I know you can do this, Bonnie.”

Bonnie sighed. “Thank you. And I won’t fail you.”

“I know you won’t.” She said. “Otherwise I would have run a long time ago.”

They arrived at the site of The Harvest, Sophie waiting for them all. Bonnie and Kol went to stand near the stone altar, while Elijah, Klaus, Rebekah, Katherine, and Caroline all gathered together. Davina looked around at the rest of them, nodding at Katherine and Elijah, before ascending the steps to stand by the corpses of the other Harvest girls.

Katherine could feel the fear rolling off of Davina, and she tapped into that sense, closing her eyes as she felt the girl’s emotion tune in with hers. Here she was, about to watch a young girl walk to her death, even if it was only temporarily. It reminded her of what could have been back in 1492, had she not run. And Davina was very afraid, even if she was covering it up. This would not do.

The immortal breathed in deeply, conjuring in her mind moments of her life where she had felt at peace. Many of these times had been when she was alone with the stillness, hiding from Klaus in remote villages and safehouses around the world. Yet, there were many, many, more times where she had truly felt calm around a certain Original of hers. Gathering the sensation from all of these memories, Katherine projected peace into the mind and heart of the young witch. Visibly, the tension fell off of Davina’s shoulders, her entire countenance lightening as her fear dampened. Katherine simply nodded as the witch turned back and mouthed “Thank you”, for she requested none. This was hers to give--payment in return for doing the spell to save her life. If Bonnie was to fail, and these were to be Davina’s last moments on earth, it was better to spend them in peace.

Sophie stood at the top of the stone steps, a knife in her right hand, the rest of the ritual materials placed in an orderly manner on the table beside her. The other three girls of the Harvest were lying behind her, preserved by magic as they had been at their deaths. “Do you, Davina Lillian Claire, believe in The Harvest? Do you believe what your ancestors passed on to you? Are you assured in your imminent resurrection?” Her voice was strong and assured, though Kol could detect a tremor in her hands. Sophie’s previous disbelief had not gone unknown to him, and as she was left out of the true plan for the evening, it was natural she would fear what she was actually doing.

“I do.” Davina answered all three questions soundly.

“Then let The Harvest be finished, and The Reaping commence.” Sophie spoke. Gritting her teeth, she raised the hand holding the ritual knife, and sliced Davina’s neck. Wincing as a splatter of blood hit her, Sophie watched as Davina fell to the ground, obviously dead. She quickly moved to the table, beginning the spell she had been given.

Standing at the bottom of the steps, Bonnie held her breath for the next part of the ritual; it was the most crucial, after all. As Sophie chanted, the spell would send Kol back to the land of the living, utilizing some of her family magic; this she had infused into the spell via key phrases and combinations known only to the Bennett bloodline, thus harnessing the power of her family. Altogether, it was bound to work, and after that, it was to be her turn to act. Suddenly, she felt the acute loss of Kol; his was a touch she had become familiar with.

“I believe something is happening.” Kol shimmered in and out of her view. “Bonnie, I do hope it will not hurt when I pass through.”

“If it does, it doesn’t matter.” The Anchor shrugged, smiling softly. “You called me by my actual name.” She laughed.

“Only on special circumstances.” He winked, before looking worriedly up at Sophie. “She is nearly done. Here’s where we find out if it works or not.” Sophie Deveraux continued chanting, finally hitting the apex of the spell. It felt as if pins were pricking Kol from all sides, the tingling being the first feeling other than Bonnie which he had felt in a very long time. He looked over and saw Bonnie mumbling under her breath, clearly assisting Sophie by channeling some of her own power as a supernatural being--something he had specifically told her _not_ to do. Suddenly he was drawn directly in front of her, and she cut off her assistance in surprise. Looking Bonnie directly in the eye, Kol waited for her to nod before he taking her hands, passing through her metaphorical gateway, and ending up on the side of the living.

The first thing Kol noticed after he had brushed himself off and internally checked to see if he was still a vampire—which he was—was that everything was sharper. It was as if the Other Side had been a fog around his mind, and now the haze was lifted. The next thing he noticed was Bonnie on her knees, holding her heart.

“Darling, are you alright?” He turned, helping her up, only to be met by a bright smile.

“I’m perfectly fine! The breath was just knocked out of me for a minute there. Are you good?” Bonnie was cut off, however, by the flying mass of blonde hair and sister colliding into Kol’s chest. “Have fun with her.” The anchor said, squeezing his shoulder lightly. “I’ve got girls to bring back.”

Vaguely the sound of Sophie crying could be heard, but Kol was too preoccupied with the sobbing Rebekah in his arms. It was both a nostalgic and strange moment, for he had not seen his sister cry like this since Henrik died, and she had not embraced him in nearly as long. “Bekah, I’m fine.” He made to step back, causing his sister to punch him in the arm.

“You bloody died, damn it, and the last thing you thought was that we were going to kill you! Maybe we have been able to converse with you for a few weeks, but it is not the same. Now shut your trap or I will make you do so.” The Original place her hands on her hips angrily.

“Yes _Mummy_.” Kol rolled his eyes. “Should I begin to call you Esther now? Sounds kinky.”

“Ahhh, our brother, ever the jokester.” Klaus and Elijah swaggered over, leaving Caroline and Katherine where they had previously stood. “We shall have no rest in the manor from this moment on, what with these two’s bickering.” Klaus commented.

“No one likes an arse, Nik. Be nice, for once in your life.” Rebekah interjected, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

“Yes, Nik. No one likes an arse.” The youngest brother mocked, laughing.

“I do believe bickering is a family trait we all share.” Elijah commented as Klaus went to snap at his younger siblings, smiling slightly. “It is good to have you back on the side of the living and the undead, brother.” He nodded at Kol.

“It’s good to be back.” The aforementioned agreed. “Thanks to Bonnie. It was her idea and abilities which made the whole process possible.” Kol looked up at Bonnie, who was standing with Sophie at the altar. Their hands were joined as they chanted, which he understood to be Bonnie’s channeling of the Bennett magic through Sophie.

“We owe a great debt, to Miss Bennett.” Elijah concurred. “The reuniting of family is one we will never be able to repay.”

“I believe there are many more today, who owe her their lives.” Kol said wryly, looking past his siblings to where the four sacrificed girls had woken up.

Sometime later, Bonnie and Davina were walking back through the church where she lived. The Reaping had played out as hoped, and all four girls were healthy. Sophie had had a tearful reunion with a dazed Monique, and they had left with the other girls—Sophie agreeing to take them back to their remaining family members—shortly after everyone reoriented themselves.

“I feel…different.” Davina looked confused. “Like I’m not whole. There is something missing.”

Bonnie looked at her protégé, concerned. “Are you sure? How is your magic working? It might be a normal thing… You are going to be at about one quarter of your previous power, you know.”

“I’m sure. Something went wrong.” Davina assured. “I…” Her voice broke “I think my magic might be gone. I can’t feel it. Not like before.” She brushed away the tears which started to fall, causing Bonnie to wrap her into a hug.

“Oh, Davina.” She sighed. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think anything like this would happen. Maybe we can try to get it back. I’ve lost my magic before, and it just took a bit of training.” Bonnie rubbed the hair of the girl she had come to view as another sister gently while she cried.

“Can I think on it?” Davina asked. “At one time all I wanted was to be normal, and I feel…normal now. I just need to decide.”

Her mentor stepped back and nodded. “We can certainly do that. And I will still be stopping by, if you choose to stay here, alright?” Bonnie reassured.

“Alright.” The witch smiled.

-0-0-0-0-0-

“Damn it, Elijah, hit me harder!” Katherine grunted. She stepped back from him, putting her hands on her hips. “I’m never going to get back into shape if you don’t actually fight me.”

“Excuse me, Katerina, for wishing to take this bit by bit.” He gave her an unamused look. He was dressed in his ever-present suit, even as they worked out, though she was wearing a pair of skimpy booty shorts and a sports bra, which did make for a very nice visual.

“I’m half your age, and I’ve probably done more actual fighting during the past five hundred years than you have. I can take it.” She rolled her eyes, picking up a four-inch long, needle thin, knife from the crate of weapons he had brought out for them to practice with. “You never went easy on me before.” Katherine aimed and threw the tiny weapon. She anticipated Elijah snatching the thing out of the air, and was more than prepared when he threw the thing back, causing her to lazily duck at the last second.

“I do not intend to let you off specifically; this is just to build up your tolerance. There is a difference.” Elijah picked up one of the discarded stakes from the grass and hurled it in her direction, grazing her shoulder as Katherine was too slow dodging. “Like I said, you need to approach this gradually. You have spent the last few months in a less than ideal state, therefore you are not in peak physical condition.”

She rolled her shoulder, picked up the stake, and rushed Elijah, pinning him to the ground, effectively straddling him. “I don’t do things by halves.” Katherine smirked, holding the simple wooden stake to his heart. “Shouldn’t you have learned that by now, dear?”

Elijah flashed them up, and grabbed her in a headlock. “Still arrogant as ever, I see.”

“You enjoy it.” She lowered her tone and squirmed in his grasp, wriggling backwards against him.

“Yes, I do quite enjoy you like this.” He retorted, the mirth obvious in his voice. Katherine shivered as Elijah’s free hand trailed down to her hip at an achingly slow pace, causing her to let out an impatient huff.

“Oh I’m aware.” She shot back, turning her head slightly to catch a glimpse of her lover. “And so is the furniture company.”

“Mmm.” He hummed in agreement. “Thankfully the new bed will be here within a day or so.”

“Good. I do like that bed.” The brunette laughed, twisting out of his grip. “We always have such fun on it.” She yanked his head down to meet hers, kissing the hell out of Elijah.

“I thought you wanted to train.” He raised an eyebrow, smirking at her insatiability.

“Please. I was born fabulous. What I want is for you and I to go christen your office.” Katherine played with the lapels on his jacket, before her hands slipped down to his tie and shirt buttons.

“As we have at least three times this week.” Elijah traced patterns on her waist, his eyes dark. “Are you sure there is a surface left to christen?”

“I’ll find one.” She whispered, a hair’s breadth away from kissing him once more.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Sometime later that afternoon, Katherine ran a hand through her wet curls as she walked downstairs, a flowing robe open over her tiny little slip of a nightgown. It may be the afternoon, but, well, she had given up caring about what anyone else thought a long time ago. Elijah had said he would be down momentarily, so she went ahead to get coffee. And maybe some blood…

“You know, I’m getting some seriously bad vibes from this room.” Katherine sassed as soon as she saw who was sitting at the bar. “Oh wait, it’s just you, _Shirley_. That explains it.”

“The name’s Hayley.” The wolf grumbled for at least the hundredth time.

The immortal gasped. “I had no idea. I don’t bother to learn my minions’ names, after all. You’re all disposable to me.” She flashed her a sickeningly sweet smile before pulling out two mugs and started on the coffee, filling one mug with blood. Katherine could feel the rage and jealously rolling off of the younger girl, giving her an immense amount of satisfaction. “You know, the green-eyed monster clashes with pregnancy. Aren’t you supposed to be oozing happy vibes? I know I was during my last month.”

“I’m not jealous of you, bitch.” Hayley scoffed, taking another bite of her cookie.

“I’m an empath, cupcake. You definitely are. And sadly for you, it’s not because of my more-perfect-than-you looks, or my charming personality.” Katherine smirked, mixing ridiculous amounts of sugar in her coffee. “You’re seething with rage that I have Elijah, and you don’t.” When she could visibly see the effect her words had on the werewolf, she continued on, toying with her. “But you see, you never had him at all. You seriously underestimate Elijah’s intelligence to believe that he would ever go for you: a knocked-up teenager carrying his brother’s kid. Besides, we’ve been in love with each other for over five hundred years. You cannot expect to come between that.”

“Now, now, Katerina. Play nice.” Elijah stepped into the kitchen, well aware of what they had been discussing, though he made no mention of it. He took the proffered mug of blood from her. “Pity we cannot go hunting under Marcel’s rule.” He wrinkled his nose at the taste of bagged blood.

“Which is why, as soon as Marcel’s defeated,” Katherine smiled, the other person in the kitchen completely gone as they became wrapped up in each other once more. “The first thing we’re going to do is hunt together again.” A loud cough snapped the couple out of their reverie, causing Katherine to mentally stab Hayley with multiple daggers. “I’m so going to kill her one of these days.” She grumbled under her breath.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Caroline leaned back in her chair, scouring one page of the really long list she and Klaus were going through. “Clan Sinclair?”

“Allies.” Klaus said as he looked over maps of New Orleans. “They’re an old werewolf family, and we have been allied with them for centuries. They will surely come to our aid.”

“Okay…” Caroline scribbled in another notebook. “Marguerite Langford?”

“Call her, though we have not been in contact for some time.”

“Alright. Last on this page is Francisque, Annette, and Blaise Bellerose.” The blonde looked over at the concentrating hybrid.

“Triplet vampires. Met them during the reign of Louis XIV. They were trained assassins, and exceedingly deadly. I believe they descend from Bekah.” Klaus considered. “I am certain they would come to our aid, but I will need to discuss it with my siblings. The risk of their assistance could outweigh the benefits we reap.”

“Perfect!” Caroline clapped her hands, applauding their finishing of the list. “Well, in that case, we’ve definitely got a list of people prepared to call, and hopefully allies will be racing to the city within days.”

“I received a report from Susan this morning, and the hybrids are coming along fantastically in their pre-training.” Klaus looked up from his maps.

“Good. How are battle plans coming along?”

“How do you feel about leading a task force?” Klaus shot back, smirking at her shocked expression.

“Me.” The lady blinked. “Lead a task force. In battle.” She still appeared to be in shock. “You do realize I have little to no real experience in a _battle_ whatsoever, right?”

Klaus crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “I personally have been training you,” He paused, internally enjoying the memories of their sparring on the back lawn “And you are resourceful, not to mention a natural leader. People look up to you, and you’re clever enough to get the job done.”

Caroline ran a hand through her hair and pushed back from the table, standing up. “What do you have in mind?” She pointed at him, narrowing her eyes. “And it better be good, because if I’m going to lead a group of soldiers, then it will be one with a purpose, understand? I’m not just going to like stand five hundred yards away with my people and only be called in if we need backup.”

“I would not insult you like that.” He laughed, gesturing to his plans. “Marcel will have traps positioned all around the city, waiting to take out our forces. I want you to lead a group and take these out in anticipation of the advancing army, of which I will have either Elijah or Kol in charge of.” Klaus turned serious for a moment. “And I also want you to take out Marcel’s camp.”

“Seriously?” Caroline shrieked. “I can’t do that. How do you even know where that is anyways?”

“Spies, love, spies.” He waved away her shrieking. “It is located in one of two locations, and for us to win this battle, the camp needs to be taken out before the rest of the forces descends upon the city.”

Caroline began pacing. “Will that camp being up make or break the war?”

“It may.”                             

She sighed. “And you really think I can lead a group of people to do this? Will they even listen to me? I mean, I’m a baby vampire with no experience and here you are putting me in charge of a group of much older and more experienced fighters and honestly it’s kind of freaky and like I don’t know if I can do this.” Caroline stopped to take a breath, letting it out when Klaus walked up to her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

“I have the greatest of confidences in you, sweetheart. You are more than capable to do the job.” His eyes bored into hers, causing Caroline to make her decision.

“Fine. I’ll do it.”

-0-0-0-0-0-

“Well darling, long time, no see.” Kol’s voice snapped Bonnie out of her novel. She looked up to see him leaning up against the doorframe. Honestly, it was really weird to see him in different clothes.

“We saw each other at breakfast.” She retorted. “And last night at dinner.”

“And I’ve spent the past few months with only you to keep me company, so it is strange, not being in your constant presence.” Kol said, metaphorically knocking her off her feet. Again.

Bonnie huffed and looked back at her book, reading the same paragraph over and over again before giving up. She turned to Kol, who was watching her with an expression that made her insides churn. “Don’t look at me like that.” She snapped.

“Like what, darling?” He was not even teasing her this time, completely curious as to what she would say.

She sighed. “Like… Like you feel something. For me. And you can’t, so just stop.”

“What would you say if I did?” Kol raised an eyebrow.

“I would say we wouldn’t go there.” Bonnie retorted harshly, turning away.

“And why not, doll?” When she refused to answer, he continued. “Answer the question, Bonnie. Why couldn’t we go there?”

She stood and faced him, fire in her eyes. “Because I won’t put myself in an emotionally vulnerable position. Not again.”

“Is this because of Jeremy Gilbert and your…connection?” Kol had to ask, causing her to roll her eyes.

“No. It’s not about Jeremy. I think he and I were over before we ever really began. This is about me.” When Kol motioned for her to continue in that irritating way he shared with his siblings, Bonnie realized she was not getting out of this one. “Fine. You really want to know? Everyone leaves, okay? Everybody.” She tightened her fists. “My mom left when I was really little. My Grams and my dad are both dead. One guy I dated was only interested because he wanted to kidnap me. Luca was a warlock, and I really liked him, but he died. Jaime disappeared out of the blue one day, and I haven’t heard from him since. And sure, I thought Jeremy and I were in love for a while there, but he cheated on me with his One True Love Anna, and I can’t believe I ever thought so low of myself that I was willing to go back to him after that. So that’s why I’m not going to put myself in a position like that, okay? Because I can’t take it if anyone else _leaves_ me.” Bonnie clenched her jaw, her eyes holding contact with Kol’s. She could barely breathe as he stalked towards her, the air rife with tension. Her eyes widened as he delicately grasped her face in his hands, completely unsure of what the unpredictable Original was about to do.

“Bonnie Bennett.” Kol paused. “You are the only woman in over one thousand years who has caused me to feel anything real whatsoever. I come alive in your presence. Your soul is on fire, and I feel it warm my dead one every time I spend a moment with you. And I positively refuse to let you deny our connection and friendship, because of this, Bonnie: I will never leave, do you understand me?” He stroked her cheek with his thumb delicately; with her, he was gentler than he had ever been. “I am the one person who will not leave you.”

“Do you swear it?” She asked firmly, though quietly. To be honest, she very much wanted to go there with him. She liked him. She really, truly, liked Kol, and it was in a way she had never felt about anyone else before. He was different. He understood her, and not just in terms of magic, but he understood her personality. Bonnie had told him things she had never told anyone else before, because she knew he was trustworthy. Kol would not betray her, she was certain of that. And most of all, he had never made her feel unappreciated. He had always supported her in her endeavors, even when she directly went against his warnings. He was… He was marvelous.

“Upon my honor and former magic.” Kol swore, causing the last of her defenses to melt, for she was more than aware of what an oath of that caliber meant to him. And so, she took the leap.

“Then I swear to you that I will never leave as well.” Bonnie smiled softly. “Upon my honor and former magic.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!!! No, I didn't die, I just finished up finals week and then had to move back home for winter break! Anyways, that final scene though, am I right? It's probably my favorite Kennett scene that I've ever even dreamed up, much less actually wrote. Now, as for the rest of the story, we have one shortish filler chapter, two final chapters, and then an epilogue. I'm actually considering splitting the final actual chapter into two parts, but updating on the same day. 
> 
> Good luck on the rest of the semester you guys, and thank you all for reading and commenting!!  
> -Abigail


	22. Part Two: Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: “Upon my honor and former magic.”

Katherine walked back into Elijah's office, where she, Elijah, and Bonnie had been negotiating with allies all morning. “That was Chief Sinclair. He, two of his sons, and thirty more able fighters are on their way. They're currently in Boston or something, waiting for their layover to finish.”

“Good.” Elijah nodded. “The Sinclair’s will be of great assistance in the imminent battle.”

“What're their ties?” Bonnie sipped from her mocha latte. If anyone had asked her—even a month and a half ago, when she first made the trip down to New Orleans—if she would enjoy working with Elijah Mikaelson and Katherine Pierce, she probably would have given them an aneurysm. However, now that she had learned to co-exist with the most dysfunctional family she had ever met, she was enjoying herself. Bonnie had never pegged herself to be a person who enjoyed politics, but during the past day of trying to garner allies, she was really learning a ton from the political geniuses named Elijah and Katherine. If anyone could charm their way through a war, it would be those two. “Because seriously, your family has the most non-allied allies you can get.”

“Clan Sinclair is different, as are a few others.” He leaned back in his chair. “They are as close to friends as my family gets, and we have been on good terms for over three centuries.” Looking up from his papers, Elijah continued. “We allied with them in the 1700's during a land dispute between theirs and another clan, and in turn they hid us from Mikael for a nearly a year. Though they were werewolves and we were not, both sides recognized the mutual benefits of an alliance. Ever since then we have managed to stay on good terms. Katerina and I requested their assistance in the search for the cure last year, but nothing of use turned up.”

“They're fierce, but easily the most amiable pack of werewolves I have ever met.” Katherine checked a name off of a list, and scanned it. “Just so you know to pay the proper respect and all: you can tell who's a member of the Alpha family by the red hair. They're like the Weasleys but in werewolf form.”

“What is with you ancient vampires and Harry Potter?” Bonnie rolled her eyes. “And what's the difference between an Alpha family or not? Aren't they all just pack members?”

“I stayed in backwoods Montana for a decade or so. There was nothing to do but read and watch movies in that infernal place.” The brunette snapped.

Elijah intervened before Katherine could go on a tangent. “Clan Sinclair is an ancient werewolf clan from Scotland. As everyone in the pack has the last name Sinclair, similar to the human version of Clan Sinclair, there is a specified Alpha line in which the Alpha male or female of the pack is descended from. The power dynamics are slightly different over there, because of their cultural and filial history.”

“Makes sense.” The younger woman shrugged. “Remind me again why your family has an obsession with taking the French Quarter? No offense, but New Orleans isn’t Manhattan. Or someplace really awesome like… Rome. Or Dubai. This city just seems really random.” Bonnie challenged, genuinely interested.

“It’s a symbol, Bon-Bon.” Katherine tapped on her phone, looking up briefly. “The city is merely a metaphor for the rest of the supernatural world, which their family already rules. They have strongholds and vassals in every major city in the world. New Orleans is merely a way to show the rest of the world that the Mikaelsons still have their shit together, and they’re not to be messed with.” She gave Bonnie a ‘are you really that stupid or just secretly blonde’ look.

Bonnie looked to Elijah as to confirm Katherine’s statement, and when she received a nod, she replied. “Well that makes sense. I was starting to wonder what the point of this was.” When her phone started buzzing, she checked it and stood. “This is one of the covens I contacted earlier. I’ll be back in a second.” She nodded to each of her colleagues before walking out, answering the call as she left. “Bonnie Bennett speaking…”

Katherine sashayed over to Elijah, who was sitting on one of the two couches in his office, fiddling around on his phone. Plucking the device out of his hands and setting it on the table beside her, she settled into his lap, her high-heeled feet resting on the rest of the sofa. “You have your ‘I’m thinking about something but I don’t want to talk about it, so I’ll just wallow’ face on.” She danced her fingers along his lapels.

“I wasn’t aware I made such an expression.” He countered, playing with her dark brown curls.

“All the time.” Katherine rolled her eyes. “Just… This may seem really weird and I’m fairly sure that it’s caused by the overload of empath emotions I have going on, but you can tell me if something’s going on, you know.” She shrugged, checking her nails. “I mean, communication was pretty much our biggest issue back in London, and I don’t want us to get to that stage again, so I’m trying to be a good partner or whatever the hell we are, and _communicate_.” She scoffed, as if the thought was distasteful to her.

Elijah raised an eyebrow, for it was exceedingly strange to see Katherine awkwardly shifting. “It was truly nothing, Katerina. I was simply wondering about my brother and his relationship with Miss Bennett. There seems to be a certain closeness about them which I have not seen in my brother since our human days.” He rested a hand on her waist comfortably. “I do wish for us to not repeat our past mistakes, however, and I appreciate your effort. I promise to do the same.”

“Good.” She reclined her head on his shoulder, taking in the familiar scent of his cologne. They rested in stillness for a few precious moments, simply enjoying the company of each other.

“Yes, I will see you tomorrow. There will be a representative to pick your coven up at the airport, just email me the flight details, and it will be taken care of. Thank you! Goodbye!” Bonnie walked back into the room, closing her phone. “Alright, the…” She trailed off when she noticed the pair on the couch. “Should I give you two a moment?”

“Nope! Continue on, Bon-Bon.” Katherine made no move to get up from her spot, and Elijah looked fine with it, so Bonnie just continued.

“Anyways, the Albright coven will be here first thing tomorrow morning, so we’ll need someone to pick them up at the airport.” Bonnie took a seat on the couch.

“Good work, Miss Bennett.” Elijah complimented. “Albright is a large coven, and powerful. It will do good to have them on our side.”

“Honestly, it was my name which did most of the work. They kind of jumped at the chance to help a Bennett.” She trailed off awkwardly.

“As they should.” He said. “The Bennett family is one of the oldest lines, and well respected. To turn down a plea for help from your family would be social suicide within the witch communities.”

Bonnie laughed under her breath. “That’s what Kol told me. He said he’s worked with more than a few Bennett’s over the years.”

“Kol always sought the company of powerful witches. He respects your lineage greatly.” Elijah sized up the younger woman in front of him, deciding to take Katerina’s advice and _communicate_ with people. “Miss Bennett, what exactly is the nature of your relationship with my brother?”

“Oh, here we go.” Katherine muttered when she saw Bonnie’s expression.

“Excuse me?” The aforementioned was affronted, though she stayed polite and calm. “I don’t exactly see how that’s any of your business.”

“He is my brother, therefore it becomes my business.” The condescension was practically rolling off of the Original in waves, simply furthering Bonnie’s irritation.

“Yeah, a brother that you’ve basically ignored for the past thousand years!” Bonnie fired back, surprising the Original with the venom in her voice. “Excuse me if I’m overstepping boundaries, but I have had many conversations with Kol where he explained to me how he would go decades without speaking to any of you. He’s always been the sibling written off; the one left out of the ‘Always and Forever” mantra you, Rebekah, and Klaus repeat like it’s the only thing holding you three together anymore. And that I’ve surmised for myself, because when you spend just _five minutes_ with him it’s obvious.” She explained her point at a normal volume, and yet with such passion, it was obvious how she felt. Bonnie stood, grabbing her sweater off of the couch arm. “If you want details about Kol and I, go ask your brother. I’m sure he would enjoy the interest in his life.”

“Miss Bennett, I will have you kn—” Elijah started, though he could not stand as Katherine was still lounging across him. He did not get much farther than halfway into his sentence, however, as Bonnie cut him off.

“First of all, it’s Bonnie. We’ve been living in the same house for nearly two months. You can call me by my first name. Secondly, I ended this conversation, therefore, I am leaving. I thank you, and Katherine,” She nodded to each, “for your…guidance in navigating negotiations, and I will see you both at dinner.” With that, Bonnie Sheila Bennett, aged nineteen, walked away from one of the most dangerous men on the planet.

-0-0-0-0-0-

It was the fourth of January, otherwise known as the day Rebekah celebrated her birthday, and she was spending it on an old military base a few hours outside of New Orleans. Nik had chosen the site to house the multitudes of allies which had been pouring into the area over the past day, as it would not do for Marcel to discover they knew of his plans and were gathering an army. So, naturally, instead of spending her birthday shopping or having a girl’s day, she was stuck training the troops with Nik and Kol. Bonnie was in charge of directing the incoming witches to their proper places, and Katherine was back in the city, making sure anyone who came to the manor instead of the camp was sent in the right direction. Elijah was off doing some other project, and Caroline was organizing safehouses for the few pregnant werewolves, as well as the children, in Nik’s hybrid pack. There had been a marvelous fight that morning when Hayley protested being shipped off to hang out with a bunch of pregnant chicks and little kids, but, well, Caroline won that fight easily. No matter how lovely the verbal match had been that morning, though, this was shaping up to be the lamest birthday ever, and Rebekah was highly disappointed.

She turned her attention back to the crowd below, Niklaus and Kol to her left, as Rebekah waited for her older brother to address his army. Kol had had the brilliant idea to run the troops through a…boot camp of sorts—honestly, she felt as if her brother had been watching too many military movies—and she had been roped into supervising some of the training. On her bloody birthday.

As usual, Nik managed to pull the motivational information speech off in his usual arrogant manner. “Men and women of the supernatural world!” He had begun. “Today is the beginning of what you will eventually name ‘Hell on Earth’.” Rebekah smirked as her brother paused. When she was through with these fighters, it would seem like hell for them. “You would be correct. For your training, you will report directly to my siblings and I. All groups have been chosen randomly, and the infringement of any rule will result in some of my favorite forms of punishment. Which, I assure you, are not enjoyable for anyone other than myself.” Kol shot his sister a wink as Nik proceeded to divide the army into groups, and they led their separate teams off.

Rebekah scanned her group of fighters; it was mixed of both genders, as well between werewolves, vampires, and hybrids. She scoffed internally after noticing the stares some of the men gave her; yes, she was an exceedingly attractive woman, and yes, she was wearing something she would have worn to cheerleading practice back in Mystic Falls. However, she was an Original, damn it, and she would be afforded proper respect.

“Alright everyone! Listen up!” Rebekah let out a sharp whistle when they would not stop talking, commanding their attention. “That’s better, don’t you think?” She smirked at the annoyed looks shot her way. “As I feel the majority of you are at least somewhat experienced in the art of war, today we’re going to just…experiment. We will be running through a variety of scenarios, both against myself and others in this group. Any questions?”

“Are you sure you can handle this, princess? We wouldn’t want to get those pretty little hands of yours dirty.” Some asshole jeered from the assembled group, earning himself nasty looks from a few women nearby.

“If you want someone to experiment with sweetie, then I’ll clear my schedule.” Another charming specimen they called a man joined in, setting off a torrent of lewd and lascivious comments from a few more in the group of about seventy-five.

“Excuse me!” Rebekah shouted over the din, fire in her eyes. The level of disrespect was astounding, and today was not a day that she was going to take it. She had had enough. “Let me clarify something. To those of you who are unaware,” With this, she made eye contact with each of those who had harassed her, “My name is Rebekah Mikaelson, and I am one of the four Original Vampires. I have walked this earth for over one thousand years, and my hands carry more blood and dirt upon them than this entire group combined.” She scanned the masses, mentally making a list of those who just seemed like assholes, and those who looked like they could actually be entrusted with command of a small regiment. “Now, I offer a challenge. To any of you who feel as if you can take me in a fight, please, have at it.” With that, the Original sister stepped back, waiting for the first fool to accept.

Predictably, the first to rush her was man who called her ‘princess’. God, he was pathetic. She could hear him coming behind her from the moment he took a step, and when the man moved to grasp her in a headlock, Rebekah quickly turned and flipped him over her shoulder. It was as easy as blinking, and the sight of the asshole eating dust was a very pleasant one, to be honest. “Is that enough, or do I, your instructor, need to prove myself and my abilities to those of you who are considered to be children in comparison with me, simply on the basis of my being a woman?” When Rebekah received no answer, she simply nodded. “Good. In that case, run five laps around the main building, and when you all finish, come back here and do one hundred pushups.” At the delay in reaction, she waved them off. “Go, before I end up showing you all my favorite torture techniques.” With that, the entire group took off.

“I must say, you can command a crowd.” Rebekah turned around to find a man she had not noticed before standing about fifteen feet away, and he was approaching her. He was easily a good six inches or taller than herself, with red hair that fell over his forehead a little bit, and hazel eyes which radiated laughter. He spoke with a pronounced Scottish accent, and Rebekah could tell instantly that he was an easygoing person. The way he stepped and carried himself belied the personality of confident, but calm, man. And god, he was hot.

“It’s a family trait.” She shrugged, crossing her arms. “And you are?”

By now he was much closer to her, and he reached out his hand for her to shake. “Lachlan Sinclair. It is a pleasure to meet you officially.”

Rebekah took his hand and shook it. “Well, you already know who I am, so we can dispense with formalities. As you are clearly a werewolf, and quite obviously from the Alpha line of your Clan, as the excessive ginger-ness of your hair indicates.” When he laughed, she rolled her eyes and continued, though a slight smile played upon her lips, as an indication she was teasing. “I’m simply wondering why you are watching me train a bunch of louts, and not doing something more interesting.”

The fact that this Lachlan smiled even when she was being a complete bitch to him was baffling. “I received a text from one of the pack members about another one of us harassing a woman. Judging by your actions, I can assume the woman was you.”

“You would be correct. However, I am in no need of a white knight, thank you very much.” Rebekah retorted, though not as harshly as she might have. “Besides, it was really more about five men shouting out less than amusing comments, and I could have taken the entire group if need be.”

“I know you don’t need a savior.” The accent and that stupid grin of his were driving something crazy in Rebekah. “You’re more than capable of taking care of yourself. However, I do need to discipline any of those who were from my Clan, therefore I would appreciate your assistance in identifying them.” Lachlan smirked.

“Fine. I can do that.” She placed her hands on her hips, scrutinizing the werewolf in front of her. “As soon as you tell me the real reason you came over here.”

“You think I have ulterior motives.”

“Don’t I have the right to, today?” Rebekah started to say more, but she was cut off by the group of trainees coming back. When they didn’t drop to the ground immediately, she clapped her hands. “To the ground, the whole lot of you!”

Unfortunately, as she was distracted, she missed the tall Scotsman coming up behind her. In reality he had only moved a couple of steps closer, so as not to be overheard by her trainees, but it seemed much closer in the moment. “Unlike your cynical view seems to surmise, I had no ulterior motive. Though I certainly see the appeal.” Lachlan spoke lowly in her ear, causing the Original to breathe in sharply and take a step to the side.

“Let’s just get to identifying your men.” She whispered harshly. The rush of whatever this was she was experiencing was not what she wished for, nor needed, right now.

-0-0-0-0-0-

“I thought you all had forgotten about my birthday!" Was the first thing out of Rebekah's mouth when she walked into the manor. She had been the last to leave the training camp, and now the reasoning for Nik and Kol taking off an hour before her was apparent. The lounge was decorated for a birthday, with a banner that said 'Happy Birthday Rebekah!' on it. There was a stand full of cupcakes one table, and a small mountain of birthday presents on another, and it appeared someone—totally Caroline—had managed to get everyone to wear those cheesy paper party hats. Her brothers and her friends were gathered together, smiling at her. Or, at least as much as they smiled. Some people in this manor were awfully grumpy.

Caroline laughed. "Please. As if we could actually forget about you. Normally I would go really over the top, but I couldn't plan a ball within three days, and with this whole war campaign going on, it wasn't going to happen. So, for your next birthday, have an expectation of over-the-topness." She grasped her blonde friend in a hug.

"That sounds fantastic." Rebekah replied, grinning. The day may have started out terribly, but really, it ended on a more-than-perfect note. “You know Kol, we’re the same age now!” She teased.

“Only for a few more months, Bekah.” Kol mussed up her hair, earning him a smack on the back of his head.

Caroline watched as Rebekah greeted everyone, and got back to bickering with Kol about something else. She turned when she felt Klaus behind her; she could feel his presence as if they were magnets, simply avoiding the inevitable union. "Do you approve? I seem to remember you having a fondness for birthdays." She smiled. They had officially met on her birthday, after all. From the moment the Big Bad Wolf had walked into her room that night, and saved her, Caroline's life had been changed forever. She did not regret a moment of it.

"I do quite like birthdays, yes." He nodded, realizing what she was hinting at. "I see you are wearing a certain birthday present." Klaus nodded towards the diamond bracelet which rested upon her delicate wrist. "I prefer it to the other one you wore, if you must know."

Caroline shot him a dirty look, though a smile played upon her lips. "Your game isn't fooling me." She pointed at him. "You know very well that I almost always wear this bracelet and that I threw away Tyler's a long time ago. It's not my fault it suits me better." She put her hands on her hips and huffed, though when he started laughing the lady could barely contain the secondhand happiness she was receiving from Klaus. "Seriously? I wasn't being funny."

"You, love, are remarkable." Klaus smiled. "Somewhat oblivious as to what you just said, but entirely remarkable nonetheless."

Caroline considered her words before she realized the meaning. Fiercely containing the blush making its way to her cheeks, she crossed her arms. "And you are remarkably annoying." With that, she stomped off to straighten the cupcakes again, though Klaus never left her thoughts for a moment.

She had struggled for so long, attempting to kill her feelings. Caroline had squashed the feelings of attraction—and more—into dust, simply because they couldn't happen. Not back in Mystic Falls. But here, in New Orleans, it was like she was living a different life. Caroline was more than aware at how much she had grown in the time since she had left her hometown. The Mystic Falls Caroline would have balked at the idea of being as close of friends with any of the Mikaelsons as she was, was dedicated to Tyler in a way that was unfair to herself, and had been unnecessarily cruel to a man who—excepting the one time after Kol died—was nothing but utterly charming towards her. New Orleans had set her free. She was free from herself, her past, and everything in-between. And now, after two months of living with the Mikaelson family, and spending time with Klaus, furthering their friendship, Caroline felt as if she was ready.

She had seen the dark sides, experienced the light sides, and overall, was just awestruck by the complex being that was Niklaus Mikaelson. The monster was known by her, the man was dear to her, and the king himself had never left her side. They were one and the same, and all of him was important to her. To Caroline, there had not been a defining moment. Not one that stuck out to her particularly, at least. But now, at Rebekah's birthday party, of all places, Caroline realized something.

She was in love with Klaus. Maybe she had loved him for a very long time, and did not just realize or acknowledge it, but she was definitely and totally in love with him. It both scared and delighted her, all at once.

It seems she had not taken a century, as he had predicted, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I can say for this chapter is "It's about effing time", and that's directed at you, Caroline. 
> 
> I think I've hit nightblogger status, so....thank you for reading and commenting, and I'm going to go sleep now!  
> -Abigail


	23. Part Two: Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: ‘It seems she had not taken a century, as he had predicted, after all.’

"What on earth are these?" Kol held up the earpiece before putting it in place, causing Katherine to roll her eyes.

"It's an earpiece, dimwit. We'll use them to contact each other once we're out there." She continued passing them out to the other leaders of various regiments. "Just be glad I managed to find wireless ones." Even when going to war, Katherine Pierce managed to look deadly sexy. She was sporting a catsuit, after all, a variety of tools and weapons in the belt around her hips. "Now shoo. I have more people to outfit since no one else is technologically capable enough to assist me, and you have a girlfriend to say goodbye to."

"I was going to do just that, Kitty." The Original retorted, not even protesting the label of 'girlfriend', as he normally had been, calling it childish. "You are warning me of this because…?"

"It's war, Kol. No one is safe; not even immortal beings." Katherine pursed her lips before walking off.

He raised an eyebrow, but went out of the makeshift camp tent, where Bonnie was standing with Caroline. The latter left when he gave her the 'give us a moment' look, and Kol approached his girl. Bonnie went to speak, but he cut her off with a short and hard kiss.

"Not that I protest," Bonnie started, regaining her breath, "But what was that for?"

"That, darling, is so you know what you have to come back to." He did the thing with his eyebrows which drove her crazy, and Bonnie laughed.

"I'm not forgetting, trust me." She leaned back in, though Kol stopped her with a finger across her lips.

"I do, you know. I do trust you. And I trust you in regards to us." He said seriously. Bonnie took in Kol's words for a moment, before breaking into a wide grin.

"Your trust means very much to me. And I trust you as well." Bonnie shoved some of the tousled hair back from him forehead. "Now, we have a war to go fight, so kiss me again."

He did just that, planting a surprisingly soft kiss on her lips, though it was no less passionate, and left them both wanting more. It appeared Bonnie’s smiles were contagious, for Kol cracked a real smile as they walked towards where each of their regiments were standing. "God, I love making war."

“No, you just love wreaking havoc. There’s a distinct difference.” Bonnie nudged him with her hip, moving their joined hands out of the way. After spending an extended period of time physically connected in some way, the loss of contact between the two was always…known. They were able to be apart, of course, but Bonnie and Kol found something comforting in the touch of the other. It was simply one of their quirks.

“Mmm, I do enjoy it. It’s an adrenaline rush beyond any other.” Kol shrugged. “I may or may not have started the Hundred Year’s War, simply because of boredom. Joan of Arc was a lovely lady, by the way, though extremely ahead of her time.”

“And how on earth did you manage that?” Bonnie asked, still slightly taking in the fact that Kol was around during the 14th century. It was one thing to know it, and another thing to hear about his friendship with _Joan of Arc_.

“It was quite easy, actually. Royalty can be so weak-minded. I simply placed the suggestion into Edward the III’s mind that maybe he should not pay homage to Phillip VI of France, and it escalated from there. Of course, I had no idea it would go on for so long, but, well, that was an added bonus.” He smirked, completely nonchalant. “War is fun to watch, and considering I spent the majority of my time flitting through various royal courts, I would start up a little conflict between the kingdoms every so often. Honestly, there was really nothing else to do.”

She just shook her head. “You, Kol, are just something else.”

-0-0-0-0-0-

Katherine tapped away at the array of computers she had running, all of the Mikaelsons watching on as she did so. She had managed to hack into the security cameras of various businesses, basically giving their side eyes on the majority of the city. It may not seem like much, but with the comm links and the cameras, it might just be enough to tip the scales in their favor. And, well, they needed all the assistance they could get.

Marcel had a slightly larger army, and his fighters knew their way around the city. All of the drawn battle plans allotted for Marcel to have stationed his forces within the buildings, leaving their army to patrol the streets. They would be disadvantaged in quite a few ways, even with the large number of allies which had poured into New Orleans over the past three days. It was not so much of a disadvantage that the city would be difficult to take, just simply that they would have to fight smarter than their opposition to win this war. Good thing they had a closet tech genius on their hands.

“Katherine?” A voice rang through the communicator, and into the brunette’s ear. “Katherine, are you there?”

“Hello, Bon-Bon.” She answered. Caroline and Bonnie had taken their designated task forces out as part of the first phase of operations. Bonnie was tasked with a group of witches, and they were supposed to be ‘sniping’ Marcel’s forces with spells. Caroline took responsibility of taking out Marcel’s strategic camp, much like the one Katherine and everyone else gathered at presently, and one of their spies had given her the location of said camp three days prior. Both women were relying upon the element of surprise to complete their missions, and they would be instrumental in the rest of the army seizing the city later on. “I assume you’ve reached your position?”

“We’re stationed on rooftops all across the city in groups of three. My soldiers are prepared for what is to come. Don’t worry about us.” Her voice crackled through the link, the wind causing some static. “Oh hold on a sec…” Bonne trailed off. “There might be some activity below. Check the cameras around my location, will you?” Katherine began to do as the Anchor asked, but was cut off when a muffled curse came over the line. “One of my witches didn’t hold their fire. We’re engaging a group of about twenty. I repeat, we’re engaging.”

Kol leaned over and snatched the earpiece from Katherine. “Darling, are you alright? How is our little protégé holding up?”

An audible sigh could be heard. “I’m about as fine as I can get, considering I’m virtually defenseless, except for this effing pistol which I’ve shot about twice in my life. But hey, I’m immortal, so I can’t really die. I’ve got us a place set up in case we need to hide out, and it’s pretty well protected.” Bonnie said, exasperated. “Davina’s doing fine. A bit shaky, but okay. She’s prepared to defend us, in case I’m incapacitated with Anchor duties and all. Though, I had to help her reload the rifle earlier. She accidentally knocked something out of place, and we had ammunition going everywhere.” She faded out for a few seconds. “Shit. That really hurt.”

“Bonnie?”

“First kill of the day. Not sure which side they were from, but that hurt like a bitch. Anyways, Kol, aren’t you supposed to be leading the front lines into the Quarter by now?” She retorted, the noise of witches chanting in the background.

“I probably should get on that, doll. Here’s Kitty.” Kol laughed, shooting a wink at his pseudo-sister-in-law, and nodding at his brothers before walking out to his assembled forces. He had a sword around his waist, his two good hands, and a wicked thirst for blood. Let chaos reign.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Caroline focused her binoculars upon the location below, and gulped. This was definitely Marcel’s strategic camp, but something was wrong. There were too many fighters in the place... Then, it dawned on her. They had been double-crossed, and she had been stupid enough to lead her group into a trap. Great. What did that say about her abilities? It was not like she could just abandon the mission… The camp had to go down. She had helped build the plans herself, and Caroline was more than aware that this camp had to be taken. Shit. There was only one option. She had to take the camp, even if it meant at the price of her regiment’s lives, not to mention her own; going in that lion’s den meant almost certain death. Caroline was able to calculate the odds. It looked as if there were at least twice as many down in the camp as she had with her, maybe even more than that. No, the results of this imminent battle were not going to be very pretty.

Caroline stepped away from her squadron, telling them she needed five minutes to decide, when in fact, she had already made up her mind. They were going to go down there, they were going to fight their hardest, and they would attempt to take the camp. Now it was just time to take care of a few things.

Pulling out her phone, the nineteen-year old dialed her mother’s number, and waited. When it went to voicemail, the lady was not surprised whatsoever, and started to speak. “Hi Mom, it’s Caroline!” She smiled, attempting to inject happiness in her voice, though she could feel tears welling up and the back of her throat getting thick. God, she was leaving her mom a goodbye _voicemail_. Who did this kind of shit? “Anyways, I know we haven’t talked in a few days, but, well, I’m currently standing in the middle of a supernatural battleground. And I’ve got a mission to complete.” Caroline sighed, attempting to calm down. “I’m sorry I have to do this, but, well, you’re a cop, Mom. I think you know where this is going. I have a duty to lead and protect my regiment, but I have to complete this mission. The problem is,” Her voice broke slightly and she sniffled, attempting to keep tears back, “Going forward with the current plan, the _only_ plan I have, means I probably won’t make it out. I’m not going to be stupidly sacrificial or anything, but if it comes down to it, I am the leader of this mission, and I will leave last.” The young lady gulped, hating that she had to say all of this, but it needed to be done. “So, if I die tonight, I just want you to know that I really love you, Mommy. And even though we spent a lot of time fighting with each other, just… I’m glad we managed to get to a good place. I’ll make sure that someone calls you within the next twenty-four hours, and hopefully that person will be me. But if it isn’t… Tell Elena I love her. And tell Stefan he was like a brother to me. And you can even tell Damon that he wasn’t as much of a jerk as he could have been.” Caroline laughed through the tears which were falling down her face. “Anyways, I love you, Mom. Bye.” With that, Caroline Forbes ended what could very possibly be the final words she ever said to her mother.

There was one more call she needed to make. Pressing the button on her comm link, she waited. “Katherine?” Caroline asked, when she could hear noise through the earpiece.

“No, love. The insolent doppelganger just left with Elijah and my sister to check over the remaining forces.” The familiar accent rang through, giving Caroline a bit of peace. “Do you need her?”

“No.” She shook her head, forgetting he could not see her for a moment. “I was just going to have her patch me through to you anyways.” The blonde let out a whoosh of breath, and she could practically hear the concern from Klaus over the line.

“Caroline…”

“We don’t have any backup forces, and I know that. We were double-crossed, and they’re waiting for me at the camp, and they’ve got way more men, but I need to complete this mission, so I just wanted t-to s-say,” Caroline blurted in waves of never-ending words, until she could not take it anymore.

“You wanted to say goodbye.” Klaus finished for her. “Sweetheart, I will be there in a few minutes, and we will handle this.” He stood, pushing the rolling chair backwards.

“No!” She shouted over the communicator. “No, you aren’t going to come save me. I know how many we have to work with, and we specifically calculated yours and Rebekah’s team with the both of you in mind. As is, we already had to leave your team with less force than I would like. If she’s short that much manpower, she won’t be able to take the Abattoir, and that means certain defeat. You cannot save me this time.”

“Caroline, I refuse to let you make this decis—” Klaus yelled into the communicator.

“Tell Rebekah she’s been a fabulous shopping partner, and a good friend. And I think she’ll make a great auntie.” Caroline cut him off. “And please tell Katherine and Elijah to keep their shit together, because I don’t know a couple more suited for each other. It’s been my pleasure to be the friend of the bitch named Katherine Pierce, and you can tell her that too.” She laughed, her face falling as she looked down at the camp she was about to attack. “Warn Kol that if he doesn’t treat my best friend right, I’ll kick his ass. Please…please tell Bonnie I love her.” Caroline’s voice broke for the second time that night. “And if I don’t come back, Klaus… I need you to tell my mother. I left her a voicemail but she’ll need someone to actually tell her for it to sink in, so I need you to do that for me.”

“Caroline,” Klaus began, gritting his teeth.

“No, Klaus. You need to let me do this, even though I know it’s killing you inside. And I’m probably being really presumptuous with this whole thing, but I needed to tell you goodbye.”

“In my opinion, you’ve told everyone else goodbye, but not me.” He countered, eliciting a half-hearted and static-filled giggle out of her.

“That’s because you were coming up.” Caroline shot back, her voice thick with shoved-down sobs. God, she wished she had been able to do this in person. “I’m not going to say what you might think I might say, because I know if I do, there would not be a force upon this planet to stop you from coming to me. Besides, I wouldn’t say it over the phone anyways, because that’s kind of lame.” She let out a breath, brushing away tears. “But I want you to know that I don’t think you are a monster, Klaus. And I need you to know that, because I have treated you _terribly_ in the past, and I have done horrible things to you, even though I knew you had feelings for me. I really regret hurting you like that, because even if you were like an uber-massive dick to everybody in Mystic Falls, you didn’t deserve that from me. The only good thing about my flirting and distracting was that it showed me who you really are, and that I will not regret. I don’t regret seeing the man behind the monster you show everyone else, and if I die tonight, I need to know you are sure in this fact.” When she received no answer, Caroline knew she had shocked him speechless, but she continued along. “Hold onto your humanity, Niklaus. Love is not a weakness; instead, it makes you stronger. And that is what I am now, because of you, and your belief in who I was and could become. I’m stronger.”

Before he could reply, she ended the call, and took out her earpiece, shoving it in her pocket. Caroline then walked over to where her troops had assembled, scanning the faces she was in charge of. This was like a cheer competition, just on a way larger scale with deadly weapons. She could do this. Caroline knew no words needed to be said; they could all see she was scared out of her mind, and she could tell they were. But this was what needed to be done, and so they would complete it.

Caroline Forbes, the eternal seventeen year old, turned and charged with her regiment of troops into the strategic camp of Marcellus Gerard and Tyler Lockwood, where a small army awaited her. It was time to put an end to this.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Katherine ducked as the vampire charged at her, the dull thud of their body hitting the pavement an indication Elijah had pulled his signature move, and ripped the heart straight out of their chest. Standing back up and decapitating a creature to her left in one swoop, twin silver blades flashing in the streetlights, the angel of death shared a grin with the demon in a suit beside her. God, she loved it when he was covered in blood. “Behind you, lover!” She nodded, before flipping what smelled like a werewolf over her shoulder—and quite possibly was, for Marcel had recruited some of the local werewolves for his army, probably with false promises—breaking their spine against her knee.

The streets of New Orleans were already drenched in the blood of their enemies, Kol’s preliminary wave having taken out more than their fair share of Marcel’s army. Though, the cleanup was going to be miserable, Katherine noted, as she continued destroying any who dared to attack her fabulous body. The smell was already horrendous, and there were various body parts and corpses littering the battlefield.

She and Elijah ended up back-to-back, with what felt like the world against them. Apparently, there was not that much difference between life and the battlefield. Katherine stabbed a passing vampire in the stomach, before ripping out their heart, blood drenching her hands. It had been a very long time since she had been involved in a combat situation such as this, the previous time being over a century before. It was certainly messier than she had remembered, and the rush of anger and adrenaline she was receiving from all around her only served to fuel Katherine’s fire.

“Vampire, three o’clock.” Elijah barked, and Katherine instantly turned and hacked the incoming opponent into pieces, her long curls flying around her face, streaked with blood in places. She had fallen in love with these twin blades about a week ago, and they were her newest favorite weapon. And, well, she was certainly putting them to good use.

Katherine turned back to face her lover, and she met his gaze, eyes darkening with lust at the sight of his normally pristine form mussed in such a deadly sexy way. The look he was giving her was not helping much either. Elijah had always liked her after a hunt, and this was like that, but with everything on a larger scale. Not needing words, she took the remaining steps towards the demon she loved, armed hands going around his neck, hips roughly meeting as she and Elijah engaged in the bloodiest kiss of their existence. His drenched hands entwined themselves in her hair and around her waist, and Katherine arched into his body, getting as close as she could possibly be to him without ripping clothes off.

They were blackened souls, the pair of them, and kisses like these were what they were made of. It was their true nature, to indulge in the blood and gore. Vampire she may not be, but he was, and she had spent the majority of her existence as one. The call to rip, and tear, and shred, had never left her system, and hidden as it might be from those who were not she, he was a ruthless being. They were the king and queen of chaos; the darkness who had striven for the light, and only ever fallen short. Elijah feared no other than she, and Katherine could now say the same. Just as Hades and Persephone had found love amidst the shades of the Underworld, so did the man of blood, and the girl of the earth. For, when darkness touched upon the girl, she was utterly consumed, and became more terrible than ever before; fight as he may, the man was drawn more than ever to both her now-twisted form, as well as the girl she once was. They were darkness, she and Elijah; darkness which created light together.

-0-0-0-0-0-

“Pull your shit together, Nik…” Rebekah hissed out of the corner of her mouth. They and their forces were currently in position to take the Abattoir, and were waiting for the perfectly timed moment.

“There is nothing I need to pull together, Bekah.” He spat back.

“The three chairs and one of Katherine’s keyboards you smashed tell a different tale.” His sister sniped. “Caroline’s not dead, I’m sure Susan and the hybrids we managed to spare got there in time, and you two can go off and have lots of loud sex in a hotel room somewhere after this.”

“Careful sister, it is starting to seem as if though you actually care.” Klaus rolled his eyes, firmly ignoring her gaze.

“Caroline’s my friend, and you are the eternal pain in my arse. Of course I care.” She smiled glibly.

“I believe the title of arse belongs to Kol, Rebekah.” He arched an eyebrow, attempting to change the subject.

“Touché.” The lady Original nodded in agreement. She looked down at the timer which had been running on her phone, and stashed it away. “It is time.” Rebekah said. Thus far she had managed to stay out of the majority of the combat, only needing to defend their camp once. She and Nik were the final phase of their battle plans, and arguably the most important. They were to take the Abattoir, kill Marcel and possibly the hybrid pup, and secure the city of New Orleans.

While war itself was not something Rebekah wished to indulge in on a daily, or even annual, basis, she was familiar with it. She and her brothers had fought in many wars over the years, so getting her hands dirty was not a problem. And, after all, New Orleans needed to be taken back into her family’s hands. If they let one city slip, another one would fall to its vassal, and then another, and soon enough their basis of power around the planet would be non-existent. To run an empire such as the supernatural world meant having to protect it, and that was exactly what was taking place in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. Rebekah and her family were protecting what was theirs.

“To the Abattoir!” Klaus raised his sword, one which Rebekah recognized as a gift from Elijah, Kol, and herself back in the 1500’s, and led the charge to the building Marcel had been waiting inside.

The rush to the compound was loud and involved quite a bit of corpse avoidance, which was more than a bit nasty. When they finally reached the doors, the assembled legion crashed through them, the united force of over a hundred supernatural buildings and two Originals easily breaking them down. Once inside, they were met with Marcel’s inner circle and then some, the false king of the city overlooking his amassed forces.

“Marcellus.” Klaus strode in. Gone was the worried man (who was not worried whatsoever, and if you dared to contradict him, your head would be on the floor) of mere minutes before, and left in his place was the asshole brother Rebekah had known and hated for a thousand years. “I will be merciful and offer you an option. You will either surrender all of the area which is currently under your rule to me, effective immediately, or you will die a miserable death.”

“Go to hell, Klaus.” Marcel spat. “This city is mine and mine alone.”

“Very well.” Klaus shrugged. “You have made your decision.” And with that, chaos erupted within the courtyard of the place Rebekah had once called home. Blood flew and spattered the walls, corpses from both sides falling to the ground the warring supernatural ripped each other to shreds. Rebekah was soon messy, her blonde hair like a gory Jackson Pollock piece as she dismembered and destroyed all who attempted to attack her. Needless to say, there would be no mockery of her today; she was not a force to reckon with.

Some distance away, on the other side of the room, Nik fought as a man possessed; he was a demon, slaughtering those who stood in his path towards Marcel. Rebekah made her way to her brother, the two fighting side-by-side: the king of the deathless, and his eternal constant. Though they fought like dogs and had somewhat hated each other for the majority of their years, they were family, and family was forever. One does not fuck with the Mikaelson Family, and that was that.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rebekah noticed an influx of familiar people coming through the doors. When she placed them as the combined forces of Kol and Bonnie’s regiments, though neither of the commanders of said regiments were in sight, she turned to Klaus. “Nik, go take care of Marcel! We can take care of the rest.”

A wicked smile curved across her brother’s face. “No, Bekah.” He turned and decapitated a charging vampire, who she recognized as Diego, Marcel’s right-hand man. “After his army is decimated, and he looks upon the destruction which he could have prevented by surrender, only then will I grant him death.” Rebekah just nodded, and went back to fighting. She and Marcel may have had a fling, but, well, she had been there, done that, and had gotten the t-shirt.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Meanwhile, as Niklaus and Rebekah Mikaelson stormed the Abattoir in an attempt to crush Marcel Gerard and his kingdom, the city of New Orleans was raining blood.

\-----

Across town, Kol Mikaelson looked up towards the rooftop of the building before him, crouched, and jumped. Landing lightly, the battle-worn man shook himself off, and walked towards the corner where he knew Bonnie and Davina had been waiting the battle out. Unfortunately, he forgot to forewarn them of his presence, and was soon ducking wooden bullets. “What the fuck?” He swore.

The familiar form of Davina popped out, dressed in dark jeans and a dark blouse, blending in well with the shadows. “Sorry!” She whimpered. “I didn’t know it was you.”

“Just make sure you know who you’re shooting at next time. And we’re going to need to improve your aim.” Kol walked closer. “Where’s Bonnie?”

The former witch shifted from one foot to another, holding her gun awkwardly. “Umm… Come see for yourself.” Davina led Kol to where the stairwell up to the roof would have let up, inside a concrete structure of sorts. She walked down to the first landing, where a miniature base camp of sorts had been set up. There was a computer or two, a bag of snacks and stuff, and a pile of blankets on a large air mattress. On said air mattress was Bonnie, and it looked as if she was sleeping. “She passed out a couple hours ago.” Davina looked to the floor. “And really, I’m glad she did. It was really bad when she was awake… Ghosts were passing through one after another.”

Kol winced when he remembered every supernatural being he had killed that day. There had been at least thirty by his hand alone, and his squadron had not been kind either. Every single one of them had contributed to her pain, and he had not even thought of her in the moment. “Yes, I am glad she was not awake for the majority of the battle.”

\-----

Elijah and Katherine stood among the destruction of the French Quarter, stillness reigning. Marcel’s remaining forces, and there had been quite a few of them, had surrendered merely moments ago, and were currently being taken to a holding area by a designated few.

“We did it.” Katherine turned to Elijah, a blood-streaked smirk gracing her face.

“That we have, Katerina.” He arched an eyebrow, grabbing her by the waist, and yanking her to him. “That we have.”

"After this, we're going on vacation for a very long time." Katherine poked him on the shoulder. "It's going to take ages to get the scent of blood out of my hair, and I need to be able to relax."

"I can certainly work with those terms." Elijah laughed.

\-----

On the south side of the city, Susan Bishop-Montgomery and the five hybrids which had been sent with her as backup to their Alpha, by their other Alpha, rushed into the building where the battle camp was located. Once in, they ran into the fray, glimpsing for the woman they called Leader while fighting, yet never catching one. It was shortly afterwards, when all had settled down and the sides began to collect their dead that they found who they were looking for. And, instantly, all six dropped to their knees.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Back at the Abattoir, the battle had reached its end.

“Marcellus Augustus Gerard.” Klaus stood over the man who was once his son, voice booming. The Abattoir was silent, those who remained after the battle watching their new king. “As punishment for your inability to surrender to the proper owners of the city of New Orleans, as punishment for not handing control over to those who built this grand city from the ground up, and permitted you to remain here as vassal, I sentence you to death.” With that, Klaus reached into Marcel’s chest, grasped his heart, and ripped it out. He threw the bloody organ to the ground, the corpse of Marcel falling to the floor with a thud.

The city of New Orleans had a new king.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow... It appears that I can't keep to a deadline when updating. I'm terrible. I apologize. This winter break has slipped through my fingers, basically, and I don't have an excuse other than that. Anyways, I hoped you all enjoyed the chapter, and I appreciate all of your feedback, whether through comments, bookmarking, or kudos!
> 
> Thanks to all of you,  
> Abi


	24. Part Two: Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: ‘The city of New Orleans had a new king’.

She wandered through the gory destruction of the Abattoir, looking for the one person she needed to see, though he was not in sight in the busy courtyard. The scene was grisly; with the dead taken out by those who remained, it was nearly as terrible as the place she had battled in.

Then, she saw him. Those golden curls of his glinted in the lamplight, and her darker nature yearned for he who stood as a blood-covered ruler. She had heard the cheers of the people from blocks away; heard them proclaiming to all who would hear of the majesty of their new king. Of course, there was much to be worked out, such as peace treaties with the witches and wolves, as well as the integration of the hybrid pack into society, but still. He was king. That was what mattered.

“Klaus!” She shouted, straining above everyone else.

“Caroline?” He turned, his eyes ablaze at the sound of her voice. His voice was full with awe, as if he was unsure she was actually there.

All time faded away for Caroline. She completely forgot about the fact that she had supernatural speed, and all she could see was Klaus. Distantly, she could hear the murmurs of the people, but she could not bring herself to care. When she reached him, the blonde could barely breathe. All she could feel, all that was around her, was Klaus. She could see every bit of blue in his eyes, and every piece of stubble on his chin. His aroma was surrounding her; his being encompassed her fully. It was just all…him.

“How come you did not call? After a good hour of waiting, we’ve been gathering a group to go search for your fucking body, Caroline!” His pleasant demeanor turned angry, and he threw his hands up in the air. “You hung up and I…we thought you had died! Fuck, Caroline, why did you hang up? It was entirely irresponsible and reckless! I could have been there in under a minute and there would not have been a risk to your life!” Klaus’s face turned red as he began pacing, her silence irritating him even more. Why she could not deign to respond was beyond his comprehension at the moment. “All you had to do was ask, but instead you go on a suicide mission, and worry everyone in an entirely preventable situati—”

Klaus was cut off, however, by Caroline closing the distance between them, and pressing her lips to his, her arms going over his shoulders, her fingers playing with the downy hair at the nape of his neck. She could tell the moment he realized this was actually happening, for, after a moment of stillness, Klaus began to kiss her back. And, god, it was the best kiss of her life. If she had known he was this good of a kisser, maybe she would have attempted it earlier. Alas, all good things come to an end, and Caroline stepped back, smiling widely.

“What was that for, love?” Klaus asked, as she looked towards the floor, a shit-eating grin on her face.

“Because I didn’t want to die without doing that.” She laughed lightly. “And because I’m in love with you. You’re it for me. I know I’m young, and I know eternity is a very long concept, but if I am sure of one thing upon this earth, it is that I will never feel like this for another.” Caroline’s insides fluttered as the hybrid gave her a look of indiscernible expression. “It was what I wanted to tell you over the phone, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it like that, so I didn’t. So like… If your offer to be my last love still stands, then I wholeheartedly accept.” She shifted, afraid she had taken too long, or maybe said the wrong thing too often, or any number of other things which could have gone wrong. It was not like they _talked_ about this, after all. His feelings could have changed—even though he still _seemed_ to be interested—but like that could be different now.

Klaus moved two steps forward, keeping eye contact with Caroline. He caressed her face gently, with blood-stained hands, before speaking. “I have always viewed love as a weakness to the mind and soul, Caroline. It is the flag by which I have existed under for over one thousand years. Yet, the moment you made your way into my life, everything changed, and I am unable to live beneath that maxim forevermore. You are a remarkable woman, sweetheart; more than I believe you will ever know, and I love you as much as my heart is able. So yes, my request has and always will stand. If you wish it, you may take your rightful place as my love and Queen for the remainder of time.”

All Caroline needed was to whisper a breathless “I will” before she was enveloped in his arms, and the sense was literally being kissed out of her. Klaus’s kisses were like a drug, and she was already addicted. She was sure she could go forever being kissed by only him.

“Pay up, Beks.” Katherine’s drawling voice broke the pair out of their trance. She was holding her hand out to Rebekah, who rolled her eyes. Caroline turned to look at her two crazy friends, though she still stayed in Klaus’s embrace.

“I’ll order them when we get back to the manor.” The vampire sighed. “Of course you had to pick the right bloody month. Of course.”

“You bet on us!” Caroline shrieked, finally getting it. “Seriously?”

“Of course we did.” Katherine scoffed. “Kol and Bon-Bon were in on it too, though they placed as a joint bet since he was dead and all. We each picked months, and I picked January.” She gestured towards Rebekah. “She picked December, which is why she’s pissed, though I always thought that was a bit optimistic of a bid.”

“Only by seven days, Katherine. Seven. Days. That’s it.” Rebekah grumbled.

“Seven days by which you were extremely late.” The immortal brunette smirked. “Either way, Bon-Bon picked February, so now you two owe me those Louboutins.” Katherine crossed her arms, arching an eyebrow at the sore loser named Rebekah.

“I said I’ll order the damn things. Just calm your panties.” The Original scoffed. When Katherine went to respond, a wicked glint in her eyes, she cut her off. “And not like that. Get your head out of the gutter for once. I swear, you’re as bad as Kol.”

“It’s not my fault I have an exceedingly sexy partner.” The lady bit her lip, winking over in Elijah’s direction. Said man had just walked into the courtyard, and was making his way in their direction, causing Rebekah to sigh.

“You two are nauseating.” The blonde looked back over to her other brother, but he was entranced with Caroline, of fucking course. It was not bloody fair. All three of her brothers were completely and utterly taken by women who had become her friends, and it was horrid. At least her niece would be arriving soon, so she would have _someone_ to lavish with love and affection. This whole staying-single thing was liberating and all, but it was getting annoying, especially when one lived with three couples. And for that matter… “Where are Kol and Bonnie?”

“Medical tent.” Caroline commented, from where she had been delegating cleanup tasks to a couple of hybrids. “Bonnie sort of…passed out during the whole battle, and Kol’s hanging out with Davina, waiting for her to wake up. He’s promised to let me know when she does.” Rebekah simply nodded, and joined the cleanup efforts.

-0-0-0-0-0-

“How you doing, Bon?” Caroline asked from beside the cot.

“I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.” Bonnie laughed weakly. “A really big one.”

“Well, at least you don’t look like it!” Caroline faked optimism before looking towards the floor, pursing her lips. “Your job sucks.” She deadpanned.

“Yeah.” The brunette snorted. “Yeah, it really does. And we should definitely keep any supernatural warfare to a minimum, because I would really love to _not_ repeat this whole experience.”

“That sounds like a brilliant idea.” Caroline agreed. “I’ll put that in the suggestion box. Actually, maybe I should make a suggestion box… That’s a good idea too.” She shrugged, before breaking into a grin. “Oh! Bon, guess what?”

Bonnie raised an eyebrow, entirely curious as to the reason why her best friend was bouncing on her toes like a little girl. “What, Care?”

“I’m…like…in a relationship with Klaus! And I’m going to be Queen!”

Bonnie just cocked her head to the side for a moment, confused. “Caroline, I love you, but your whole ‘I’m secretly a princess from a foreign country and my parents haven’t found me yet’ routine lost its appeal in like third grade.”

The blonde rolled her eyes. “You wound me. I’m actually not being dramatic this time. It’s more of the ‘Klaus and I have begun a relationship and he asked me to be his Queen for eternity’ type. Actually, it’s a bit more than just that reason, but still...”

“She’s right.” Rebekah popped her head in. “Hi, Bonnie.” She nodded, receiving a wave back. “Katherine and I saw the whole thing. My brother actually has a heart. Who knew? Anyways, what I want to know, is how you got away from your little suicide mission, Caroline.”

“Excuse me?” Bonnie crossed her arms. “You did what?”

“Care-Bear here went all martyr on us and started leaving death-note phone calls. Nik lost his shit when she hung up on him. We were preparing search parties to find her body when she just showed up in the middle of the Abattoir!” Rebekah tossed her hair over her shoulder, giving the other blonde her best bitch-face.

“Caroline,” Bonnie sighed, “What happened?”

She rolled her eyes and sat on the edge of Bonnie’s makeshift bed, playing with her fingers. “We had found the camp, but it was all a setup. One of our spies had betrayed us, and we were outnumbered. The fighting was…terrible. I killed so many...”

_“Milady, I do not believe we will be able to win this fight!” One of vampires shouted to her._

_The lady summoned all of the training she had been through with Klaus to her mind, and applied it practically as she snapped a werewolf’s neck before throwing another opponent over her shoulder and breaking their spine over her knee. “I know. But we have to keep fighting! This camp must be taken, and we have the power to make that happen!” Caroline gagged as she stuck her hand into an enemy fighter’s chest and ripped out their heart, dropping the bloody organ to the ground. God, she hated this killing, but at the same time, it felt natural. Good, even._

“Anyways, I was sure I was going to die, which was why I called my mom and Klaus. I left messages for all of you through them, and just… It was the worst moment of my life, saying those things. I didn’t want to, but I had to.” Caroline ran a hand through her hair, staring at the ground. “It got to a point where I was about to hand myself over to their leader, in order to get my squadron out. I didn’t want any more of them to die than those who already had, you know?”

“But you didn’t.” Bonnie stated.

“But I didn’t.” Caroline agreed. She looked up and saw that the rest of the Mikaelsons and Katherine had shown up, as well as Davina. She made eye contact with Klaus, and smiled briefly, but continued on with her story. “I called a brief ceasefire instead, and challenged their leader to one-on-one combat; a fight to the death. His name was Thierry. Unfortunately, that ceasefire didn’t last long.”

 _Thierry was good. He was_ really _good. And yet, Caroline could tell she could win this fight. She had studied his fighting style while they sparred, and he only had about fifty years’ worth of strength on her, and she had been trained by an Original. It was possible for her to win this._

_When she tripped over what was most likely a corpse, and subsequently got thrown into a wall, Caroline shook herself off, and got back up. Yeah, that experience was not going to repeat itself. She looked around and saw that the warring sides had collided with each other again, and yet… Some of the hybrids had come to her aid, surely by Klaus’s orders. He had to defy her order for help and send some anyways, of course. With backup, she would not have to worry about possibly being overwhelmed if she did defeat Thierry, therefore opening the door of opportunity wide._

_The lady rushed the vampire, tackling him to the floor, and snapping his arm in the process. The motions were in a blur after that… They tussled on the ground, hitting each other, and there was a lot of pain. But, the moment Caroline remembered clearly, was when she stuck her hand in Thierry’s chest, and pulled. And that was the end of that._

“Not bad,” Kol commented, walking over to stand behind Bonnie. “Though I personally prefer decapitation to heart-ripping. That’s more of Elijah’s style.” Said Original gave an amused half-nod, but said nothing, still dressed in his bloody suit, as the rest of them were. Though frankly, he and Katherine appeared to be the most mussed. Oh god, and she was giving him _that_ look, which always signified a visit from the furniture company within the next few days.

“Kol, shut up.” Bonnie shot back. “Care, you’ve got this look on your face and I know there’s something more, so please ignore the idiot,” She elbowed Kol in the side after he began whispering things in her ear “and continue.”

“Honestly, there’s not much else to tell.” The storyteller shrugged. “Just afterwards, there was this…moment. I think I will remember it for the rest of my life.”

_Caroline shoved the body of Thierry off of her, dropping his heart onto his body as she stood up. She looked around to see the cleanup beginning, and went to go help, when the noise of the clamoring voices suddenly went silent._

_She looked around, only to watch as Susan, James, Nathan, Elise, Maggie, Elliot, and Craig—all part of the hybrid pack she had spent the past few weeks getting to know—knelt down on one knee in front of her, and bowed their heads. From there, a ripple effect spread, with those who had fought under her command kneeling, and even those who had once been a part of Marcel’s army joined in. Caroline turned slowly, taking in those who remained, roughly a good hundred or more men and women, all showing deference to_ her _. She was just a baby vampire. Just a girl who had done too much for her nineteen years on earth. And yet, here she was, having fought a war, and won._

_“What your pack has recognized, so do those assembled. Being a diverse body, representing supernatural factions from across the wide world,” Susan spoke. “We recognize your leadership, Lady Caroline, and henceforth declare you to be our ruler. Long may you reign.” The echoes of Susan’s decree rang forth throughout the building, and the rest of those who kneeled repeated it, acknowledging the young vampire as their Queen._

“So that’s what you meant by a bit more of a reason to be Queen than just you and Klaus.” Bonnie put together, breaking the silence which had overcome the room after Caroline finished. She looked up at the hybrid who had made his way behind her best friend. “If you hurt her, I’ll find a way to sever your bloodline and kill you myself, no matter how much it’ll hurt when you pass through. Got it?” Katherine raised her eyebrows, but contained her initial laughter. From the look on the former witch’s face, she would go through with it too.

“Bon!” Caroline gave her best friend a look, though she was more than a bit touched.

“I understand, though drastic measures will not be necessary.” Klaus responded. The little…anchor was a match for his brother, that much was certain. He respected that.

“I’m glad we have come to an understanding.” Bonnie nodded, seeing he was sincere.

Kol opened his mouth to say something sarcastic and witty, but was cut off when someone barreled in their area, looking frantic. “Mr. Mikaelson?”

“Yes?” All three responded.

The poor girl just looked between the three really attractive brothers in all of their ‘I am badass and sexy-looking covered in blood’ glory, and was momentarily struck speechless. She then regained her senses after a particularly murderous look from the curly-haired brunette to her left. “Clan Sinclair formally requests your assistance, for the son of our chieftain has been grievously injured.”

Klaus nodded, helping Caroline up from her spot on Bonnie’s bed. The lady said a quick goodbye to her best friend, and followed him out, and he could sense Rebekah with them as well. “Where is your chief?” He asked the little werewolf, who looked to be no more her early teenage years. “You look young to have been in battle… If I remember correctly, you were not at camp.”

“I am the niece of our chieftain, and it is my cousin who fell in battle. I wasn’t allowed to fight, as I have not yet triggered the curse, though it will happen within the next year or so, I believe. I was brought along to fetch things and make sure weapons are kept clean; it is a common job for the untriggered weres within our clan.” The young girl spoke, and her accent was more identifiable now that she was speaking coherently. Klaus simply nodded as they wove amongst the beds, filled with resting soldiers. “My uncle is simply a few rows over; we managed to receive a slightly more private area.”

When his sister took in a sharp breath after seeing who was lying in the bed, the stench of wolfsbane rolling off of the poor being, the hybrid took note, and filed that tidbit away for later use. “Alistair, what has gone wrong?” He asked the white-haired and scarred man sitting on a chair beside the cot.

The chief of the Sinclair Clan of werewolves stood, and bowed his head in deference to the King of the supernatural world before continuing. “It is my son, Lachlan. He was injured terribly, and due to the large quantity of wolfsbane within his system, has been unable to heal. He will not be able to heal from this, as the witches has told us. I request you turn him into a hybrid.” The older man looked Klaus in the eye as he continued. “And I request you do not bind him with a sire bond.”

Caroline and Rebekah exchanged looks as Klaus contemplated his answer. “And why should I grant your request? I need my hybrids to be loyal to me, after all. My current pack is quite happy as they are.”

“My son must have his free will. He has children, Klaus! He cannot be beheld to another’s will.” Alistair retorted. Caroline thought she may have heard a quiet curse from Rebekah, and the Original definitely looked disappointed, but she brushed it off. “I will not let my grandchildren lose yet another parent; especially as it has been nearly three years since their mother passed away.”

“I…was unaware he had children.” Rebekah interjected. When she received funny looks from everyone, the Original clarified. “Lachlan and I became acquainted over the past few days.” She saw Caroline and her brother share a look out of the corner of her eye, but ignored the idiots.

“Yes, he does. Malcolm and Eleanor are five and three. I am surprised you have not heard of them; they were quite taken with Miss Petrova last spring, when she and your brother Elijah visited us.” The old werewolf replied.

Rebekah recovered quickly from her momentary shock. Katherine got along well with _children_? Not to mention the fact that Elijah had never said anything about going to visit the Sinclair’s. “Ah, we were all very busy at the time, and have been recently as well. Must have slipped their minds.” She turned to her brother, a deceptively sweet smile on her face. “Well, brother, what is your decision? You would not leave two innocent children parentless, especially with the imminent…circumstances, would you?” She raised an eyebrow, challenging her brother. Rebekah was pleased to see Caroline looked to be on her side in this matter.

Klaus stared into his daring little sister’s eyes, before making his decision. “I need a glass, or a cup, or whatever other insipid drinking containers they have in this tent.” Rebekah broke into a grin. It seemed there was hope for her brother yet. They procured a cup, and the hybrid bit into his wrist, letting the warm blood flow into the cup before he handed it over. “Pour that down his throat and then break his neck before it begins to heal him. I will send someone over with a vial of doppelganger blood, and he must use it to transition upon. We will discuss everything else tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Klaus. My family is in your debt.” Alistair, Chief of Clan Sinclair intoned gravely.

“Yes, you are.” He nodded, and gave the cup to the elder werewolf. Klaus then swept out of the room, Caroline by his side, and Rebekah right behind the pair.

“Kol just texted me. Said everyone’s on their way back to the manor.” Rebekah informed them.

“Then that’s where we will go!” Caroline decided as they walked back to where the cars were parked. “I’ve delegated enough cleanup tasks for the evening, thank you very much, and I desperately need a shower. We can leave everything else to the charts I made up and have conveniently posted in high traffic locations.”

“We really should have a coronation ceremony, with a ball following, you know.” Rebekah mused, changing the topic from corpse disposal. “For the both of you. Go all out in true Mikaelson fashion, and make it an event to be remembered.”

“It would serve to cement our standing in the supernatural world…” Klaus caught on to what his sister was saying. “Invite everyone we know, and throw a grand affair. Show our family as a unit, therefore cutting off the possibility of revolts before they begin.”

“Exactly.” The lady affirmed. “It will be the perfect event, and this city could use a bit of grandiose flair after such a battle.”

“Well, I’ve never really planned a coronation ceremony before, but I would certainly love to try!” Caroline laughed. She decided to try something new, and slipped her hand into Klaus’s, interlacing their fingers. When he squeezed lightly, a sigh of relief ran through her, and she knew her action was appreciated. The rules for this…relationship were going to be a bit different than her others. She already felt freer. With her previous boyfriends, it had all been about making sure they stayed; being sure they would not leave her for someone better. But now, in whatever this was with Klaus, she did not feel the weight of expectations. He had been the one to pursue her. He had captured her heart, and kept it safe even when she did not acknowledge that he actually had it. He had proven himself worthy, without being asked to do so.

“Be prepared, love. My sister is a bear when it comes to her parties.” Klaus murmured in her ear, causing a shiver to run down her spine.

“Well, I’m a dragon when it comes to mine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was originally half of what was a very, very long final chapter, so I ended up splitting it into two different chapters so as to like not overwhelm everyone with a chapter that I think was actually around 40 pages long in Word. Anyways, I appreciate all of your feedback and dedicated readership!  
> -Abi


	25. Part Two: Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on ATCL: “Well, I’m a dragon when it comes to mine.”

In the week since the Battle of New Orleans, as it was named, there had been a plethora of activity going on around the manor. A rudimentary council crafted a peace treaty between the witches, vampires, werewolves, and hybrids, and Caroline’s first act had been to sign her name beside Klaus’s on the document. She had also taken over finalizing said council, picking representatives from each of the species, while Klaus handled the reconstruction efforts, as well as the integration of the werewolves and hybrids into the New Orleans supernatural society.

In-between a bunch of political stuff, Caroline had spent her week helping plan the coronation ceremony, and Klaus had not been kidding about Rebekah being very…assertive when it came to her events. However, with all four women and multiple assistants working on the affair—not to mention the reluctant involvement of Hayley, who in her heavily pregnant state was perfectly capable of licking and stamping invitation envelopes, no matter what she said—the entire process actually moved fairly swiftly. Dress shopping had been the most entertaining thing to do, of course, though Caroline had agreed to wait to see her dress until the day of the ceremony, thus causing her a lot of impatience. The other three dresses were beautiful though, with Katherine in a red and black ball gown with a dramatic skirt, Bonnie wearing a nymph-like white gown with a slit up the front, darkening to rust-colored sides, and Rebekah in a dress which looked like fire. Literally, the dress looked as if it was crafted out of actual flames. It was a masterpiece which suited her temperament, that was for sure.

Finally, it was the day of the coronation ceremony and subsequent ball. Everything had been finished the night before, the men had been given their appropriate attire—due to codes, they each had to have two suits, as the ball was white tie, and the ceremony required ceremonial dress—and everything was utterly perfect. The actual ceremony was due to start at four o’clock sharp, then afterwards there would be an hour break before the formal ball. Overall, it was an exceedingly grand affair, but as Rebekah had said, “Nothing is too good for the Mikaelson family”. And that was that.

“Can I see my dress yet?” Caroline crossed her arms and turned towards the other three women, upsetting the guy who was doing her hair. They had commandeered Rebekah’s sitting room once again, and had a team of stylists working overtime.

“You’ve got your makeup done, right?” The Original asked a rhetorical question, as she could clearly see the answer. “Once your hair is done, then you can.”

“You’re going to be glad you waited, Care.” Bonnie said from the other side of room where she was getting her toenails done. “It’s… It really is a masterpiece.”

“I’m just wondering why you haven’t started freaking out on all of us yet.” Katherine commented from she was being helped into her dress. “Before Marcel’s ball you were running around like a madwoman, and now you’re like freakishly calm.”

“Why don’t you ask your little sixth sense.” Rebekah piped up, smiling mockingly. “After all, it has been reliable before, right?”

“Tried that.” Katherine retorted. “Unfortunately, all I’m getting from this room is an overload of bitchiness. And oh look! It’s all coming from you.” Rebekah just rolled her eyes in retaliation, going back to getting her lipstick applied properly.

Caroline just sat in her chair, taking in even breaths and blocking out the noise coming from her friends. She could do this. It was just a coronation. It was like Miss Mystic, but bigger. Way bigger. When she felt the stylist release her head, she took one more breath before standing up. “Okay, I’m done.” She looked at the other blonde expectantly.

“Bring it out!” Rebekah clapped, sending two of the attendants off. “Now don’t touch your face, and don’t you _dare_ cry.” She threatened.

When the ivory and silver confection came into the room, Caroline almost did start crying. The only way to describe the dress would be majestic. It looked like it was made of snowflakes and diamonds, and there was a cape trailing from the shoulders into a short train, and just… “Oh my God.” She breathed. “I… Wow.”

“We did pretty well, don’t you think?” Bonnie laughed, walking over carefully in those ridiculous spa flip-flops to her hair station.

“It’s so much better than I imagined it could be.” Caroline smiled. “I would hug you all right now but we’re all so prettified so I won’t.”

“Plus, I would kill you all. We don’t have time to redo everyone.” The other blonde said sternly. She turned and stepped into her dress, the fierce colors making her seem all the more fearsome.

“Ignore her. She’s sexually deprived.” Katherine sniped, causing Bonnie and Caroline to laugh, and Rebekah to let out an entirely unladylike growl. “I don’t know why you all are laughing. We all know I’m the only one getting any in this house.” She bit her lip and smirked. “Then again, I’m not so sure if I’m right about that when it comes to Bon-Bon. Tell me, do we need to get the first-floor spare room disinfected, or not?”

Caroline whirled around and faced her best friend. “Don’t tell me you didn’t tell me.”

“Nothing’s gone on!” Bonnie threw her hands up in the air and rolled her eyes.

“If I hadn’t _accidentally_ walked in,” Katherine smirked, making it clear that she had absolutely known what was going on “Then more clothing items would have been removed, cupcake, and you wouldn’t be able to say that.”

“We were just making out! God.” Bonnie crossed her arms. “It’s no big deal.”

“It is a big deal. If you seal the deal with your boyfriend, you are _required_ to tell me by the laws of the best-friend code.” The youngest vampire fixed her best friend with a stern look.

“Yeah, she’s definitely not getting any.” Katherine deadpanned, raising her eyebrows at Bonnie. “Only someone celibate would be that desperate for details.”

“I have been with Klaus for a week! A week! I may move fast, but not that fast!” Caroline shrieked.

“I need new friends.” Rebekah pinched the bridge of her nose. “Preferably ones that aren’t fucking my brothers.”

-0-0-0-0-0-

Caroline paced Rebekah’s sitting room, fidgeting with her hands. She had asked for just fifteen minutes of time to think before they had to leave for the cathedral; yes, a cathedral. Rebekah had reserved the Saint Louis’s Cathedral in Jackson Square for the event, and when Caroline had gone with her to view the location, she was blown away. The place just oozed history and culture, and honestly, it was overwhelming. This whole…thing was just a lot. She could handle it, it was just really quite a bit to take in all at once.

The only part of her life she was sure about at this point was Klaus. How messed up was that? Her former enemy was now the one person she could rely on totally and fully. She had this whole ‘Congrats Caroline, you’re now accepted as the Queen of supernatural beings everywhere’ thing going on, and her mom made it very clear that she and her were going to be having a talk very soon, and she had barely spoken with Stefan or Elena at all within the past few weeks. It just felt like her entire life changed the moment she decided to put Katherine in that car and roadtrip it down south, and this was not the outcome Caroline had expected.

A knock on the door swept her out of her thoughts, and Caroline steeled her hand on the wall for support, looking out at the pretty, and calming, view. “I asked for fifteen minutes! That’s not that hard to grant!” Her voice filled with ire, and her hands were shaking from a mixture of nervousness and sudden anger.

“I apologize, love, but no one informed me you wished for time alone.” Klaus sauntered into the room. He was stunned at the vision she made at the window; even with her back to him, she was still beautiful. When she turned about, the gauzy train of her gown twisting around her feet as she did so, he could not contain a gasp. Caroline was…majestic. Ethereal. Wondrous. She wore no adornment other than her daylight ring and the bracelet he had given her, and frankly, she needed none. Between her natural beauty and the marvelous gown which complimented her perfectly, there was no need for anything other than the tiara which would rest upon her head by the end of the evening. “Forgive me, but words are not enough.”

“Thank you.” Caroline looked towards the ground and back up, smiling slightly. When she heard his voice instead of another’s, there was really no reason to be angry. “Though, I do not believe you should be in here. I don’t think you were supposed to see my dress before I came down.”

“My sister will get over herself.” Klaus smirked, his dimples appearing. “She has for over a thousand years, and she can do it once more.” At the mention of their true age, Caroline began to wring her hands and pace again. Klaus quickly came to a conclusion of his own for her distress. “Caroline.” His voice was serious, causing her to come to a halt. “If you wish to not go through with this, I will understand. I may not seem incredibly forgiving, but if you feel pressured in any way to uphold duties or whatnot, then I do not wish for you to stay here out of a sense of mere obligation.”

Caroline paused for a moment, digesting what he was saying. “Are you trying to give me an out?”

“I don’t believe it was an attempt, more like I was actually giving you one.” He cocked an eyebrow, deflecting emotions with sarcasm, as usual.

“Don’t be an ass.” She crossed her arms, before quickly unfolding them and smoothing down her gown. “Do you think I’m here out of some twisted sense of obligation to the people of New Orleans? Do you really think that low of me?” She purposefully threw his words to her at their first true interaction back in his face, knowing they would hit home.

“I don’t know, Caroline! How am I? How on earth am I supposed to believe that someone would stay for me, and not because of another obligation? Because frankly, it’s a bit of a far-fetched concept.” Now it was he who began pacing, and Caroline sighed.

“You should believe it because I’m in love with you, okay? And maybe I’ve been a terrible…whatever we are the past few days, but like we’ve both been really busy, and I didn’t know what to do in regards to like _physical_ actions, so I just let it go for now.” She played with her fingers some more, not having anything else to mess with. “God, you don’t even know, do you?”

“Know what, sweetheart?” Klaus waited for her answer, not knowing what to feel.

“That you’re probably the most important person in my life! You’re my best friend, and I know you’re always there when I need you, and just… I’m not still here because I want to better the lives of the supernatural people, and I’m not here because I’ve had two separate groups of people kneel at my feet and proclaim me their leader!” Caroline paused to take a breath, which had accelerated as she spoke. “I’m here, in this house, in this room, and in this dress, because I am totally and utterly in love with you, Niklaus Mikaelson. And there is nothing else that would make me happier, than to stand as your partner for the rest of eternity.” The sheer passion in his eyes lit her body and soul on fire, and Caroline was not even able to take another breath before her mouth was covered by his, and his arms were bringing her into him. She looped her arms around his neck and played with the soft curls of his hair as they kissed. Kissing Klaus was like coming home, and it was something Caroline seemed to feel anew every single time.

After what seemed like hours, they broke apart, and she broke into a grin. “You… You have lipstick smeared on your face.” Caroline giggled, rushing over to grab a tissue from one of Rebekah’s side tables. She came back and removed the stains tenderly. “Somehow or another, I don’t think lipstick stains will go very well with the whole kingly image.”

“They certainly would match the blasted cloak I am to be wearing.” Klaus intoned dryly. “I had enough of those over the centuries, and was quite pleased when they went out of style, thank you very much.”

“Just be glad I talked her down from full ceremonial dress.” Caroline smirked. “I wasn’t feeling up to putting on seventeen million layers of fabric, and I didn’t think you were either, so I managed to avoid that. Our compromise, however, was that you wear a cape and that she got to pick my dress.”

Klaus glanced at the clock, and offered his arm to Caroline. “I hear my siblings gathering downstairs, and it is time for us to leave. Is there anything you need, my love?”

She looped her arm through his, holding his elbow. “Katherine’s got my clutch until after the ceremony.” Especially in her heels, which were of a fairly modest height, they stood eye-to-eye. “Are you ready to do this?”

“Are you?” He shot back, causing her to smile.

“I am now.”

With that, Klaus and Caroline headed out the door and down to where the remaining members of their party were gathered. When they reached the top of the stairs, Klaus handed Caroline her train, walked down two steps, and then waited for her to place her right hand in his grasp. In this way, the couple descended the stairs, Klaus leading Caroline to where the rest of their family awaited them. And, yes, it had become _their_ family now. No words were needed as they made their way through the foyer and out to the limousine, and none were said. The rest were well aware that something significant had changed between the couple.

After all, they truly appeared, for the first time, as a King and Queen.

-0-0-0-0-0-

When it came to coronations, consorts—for that was apparently Caroline’s new title—entered after the monarch. Or at least that was what Wikipedia said, when she had done a bunch of research upon the ceremony itself, so as to prepare herself mentally. Then again, from the itinerary which had been prepared for the evening, this was really just a crowning, as all the religious segments—even though the event was being held in a cathedral—had been cut out of what would have been a normal coronation. Caroline was not entirely sure why this was so, but she let it go in the bustle of the past week. Her duties for the afternoon were to walk up to the altar, take an oath, have a crown placed on her head, and walk back down the aisle.

“It is time.” One of the attendants at the door said to the lady, whisking her out of her personal musings. “You make a lovely picture, milady.”

“Thank you.” Caroline smiled, taking a deep breath as the two men opened the double doors, revealing her to the standing masses. If she had not been aware that it only a mere three hundred at the event, Caroline would have felt as if the whole city had appeared in the old church. The choir, which had been singing at Klaus’s entrance, began a new song which lasted until her arrival at the altar. There were so many eyes on her, but she focused on the endgame; the altar where her friends stood.

To her left, on the side where she would stand, Rebekah, Katherine, and Bonnie were arranged. On the right, Elijah and Kol stood in perfect formation. Caroline made eye contact with the last person waiting for her, and smiled. However much he disliked that damn mantle, Klaus certainly appeared regal in it. She could him fighting off a smile as their eyes spoke volumes, and when she neared the dais, he stepped down to help her up the stairs.

The ceremony itself was quite short. Klaus and Caroline both swore an oath adapted from the peace treaty they had created for New Orleans, and pledged to uphold peace with humans, and within the different groups of supernatural beings for as long as they both lived. Then, Klaus took his coronet, which was of a fairly simplistic design, and crowned himself. He was the supreme being, after all. Caroline expected no less. Then he lifted her tiara, and she ducked into a half-curtsy, head bowed, as he gently placed the bejeweled piece into her complicated updo. Afterwards, Klaus took her hands and raised Caroline up when he was done, kissing her on both cheeks. Facing the crowd together, applause and cries of “Long live the King and Queen” reigned throughout the building as he stepped off the dais and helped her down, her hand tucking into his elbow as they walked back down the aisle, the rest of the Mikaelsons, as well as Bonnie and Katherine, following behind them.

Two cars were arranged to take their family party to the location for the ball, and they soon regrouped in a reserved waiting area. Caroline and Klaus had arrived before the rest of their party, and they took the time to just sit and be with each other. The remainder of the evening was going to be full of socializing—which both enjoyed quite a bit—and sometimes a bit of quiet was needed.

Elijah, Katherine, and Rebekah made it into the room first, and small talk began between the five. A few minutes later, Kol, Bonnie, and an unexpected visitor walked in the room.

“Mommy?” Caroline’s face broke into a grin as she shot up off of the couch she and Klaus had been sitting on, and rushed to her mother, train flowing behind her. She grabbed the stoic sheriff in a tight hug, stepped back briefly to look her over, and then hugged her again, laughing. “I didn’t think you were going to come, and you’re wearing a real dress, and like, oh my God I’m so happy you’re here!”

Liz brushed a stray bit of hair back off of her daughter’s forehead. “I haven’t seen you since August, Caroline. I wouldn’t miss the chance to come to an event held partially in your honor.”

Caroline turned back to look at her friends. “Did all of you know about this?” She was radiating sunshine, such was her level of happiness.

“Kol and I were the only ones who knew before twenty minutes ago.” Bonnie smiled. “Your mom and I were trying to keep it a surprise.”

Caroline hugged Bonnie as well, whispering a “Thank you” before going back to her mother’s side. “How much more time do we have until we need to go in?” She asked the room.

“Half an hour, love. You have time to take a walk.” Klaus smirked after checking his watch.

“You,” She pointed her finger at him, faking a stern face before winking “Need to stop reading my mind.” Caroline grabbed her mom’s hand and headed towards the door. “But good. We’ll be back before then.”

“Be back in twenty-five minutes, Caroline!” Rebekah shouted after the exiting blondes. “I’ll stake you myself if we’re late!”

“It’ll be twenty-eight now, Beks! And no you won’t!” The younger blonde laughed.

“You certainly seem comfortable with all of them.” Liz remarked as they walked throughout the gorgeous building. “I never thought I would see that, I must say.”

“I’ve been living with them for two months, Mom. We’ve all been through a lot together.” Caroline shrugged.

“When did you grow up, Caroline? Because I watched you walk up that aisle today, and it took me a moment to recognize my little girl underneath the woman I saw.” Liz sighed, a sad smile on her face. “And then you got up there, and just… You looked like a bride on her wedding day.” Caroline covered her mouth, not even having considered that event in regards to today, but now that her mom had pointed it out to her, she could _see_ it. “I may not approve of your choice in boyfriend, but I can accept him. He can certainly protect you, and I know by the way you two looked at each other up there today that you know what you’re doing.”

“I love him, Mom.” Caroline whispered. “More than I’ve ever loved anyone. It’s terribly cliché and all, but he’s _the_ _one_.” When she saw no judgment from her mother, the lady breathed out a heavy sigh and changed the topic. “Tell me, what have Elena, Stefan, Jeremy, and Damon been up to? I haven’t talked to them in a while.”

“Let’s see… I’m sure you know about Elena deciding not to go back to college, but she took the Gilbert seat on the Council during the most recent session. Damon’s still head of the Council, but he hasn’t been up to much. I’ve broken up a few parties that Jeremy was at, and Stefan’s been spotted around town with some girl, but that could just be the gossip mills making up stuff again. It’s been slow around town.” Liz shrugged. “The beautification committee has talked about dragging you back by your hair, because apparently the level of perfection they hold the town’s appearance to has slipped in your absence.”

“I’ve been getting calls.” Her daughter laughed. “The town is falling apart without me there to hold it together.”

“You seem happier here, though, and that’s more important than any silly committee.” Liz said.

“Because I am.” Caroline agreed. “I am very happy here.”

“That’s all I wanted for you. All your father and I ever dared to want for you.”

-0-0-0-0-0-

Exactly twenty-seven minutes and fifty-eight seconds after Caroline and Liz left the waiting area, they were back. Well, Caroline was. Her mother had insisted on going in with the rest of the partygoers, but assured her daughter that they would see each other again during the evening. By then, all three men had changed into their white tie attire, and Rebekah was pacing the room. “There you are!” She grabbed the baby vampire and dragged her over in front of a mirror. “Reapply your lipstick while I check over your dress.”

“Don’t smother the girl, Beks.” Katherine snidely commented. “And her tiara is crooked.”

“Thanks, Katherine.” Caroline rolled her eyes as Rebekah popped up to readjust the tiara. “Now the psycho fashion-fairy has something else to pick over.”

“Rebekah, love, release Caroline.” Klaus sauntered over, subtly blocking his sister off. “Where did your mother disappear off to?”

“She wanted to go in with everyone else.” Caroline shrugged, adjusting his bowtie slightly. “I think she stills finds it a bit weird to hang out with all of us—I mean like, we all basically hated each other back in Mystic Falls—so I didn’t press the issue. Honestly, I’m just glad she’s here at all.”

“Alright, time’s up, Bekah.” Kol announced, bringing them all out of their private conversations. The seven walked as a cohesive group to the staircase from which they would make their grand entrances from, and stood slightly to the side so as not to block the doorway.

Kol and Bonnie went down first, followed by Katherine and Elijah once they reached near the bottom. Rebekah took the spotlight in her fiery dress, and sashayed down those steps like the proudly single woman she was -- even if all the couples she was living with were getting a bit annoying. Descending last, Klaus and Caroline stopped a step above where Rebekah had positioned herself, and Klaus began a short speech.

“Ladies, Gentlemen, I would like to thank you all for your presence here this evening, in honor of a momentous occasion. Order has been restored to the city of New Orleans, through the work of my family, and by the assistance of our allies. Without them, this evening would not be possible.” Applause broke out as Klaus paused, working the crowd. “It is my honor to be officially recognized as the leader of the supernatural races, and to present my Queen, Caroline Forbes, who was chosen for this rank by the supernatural people.” Again, applause reigned. Quietly, he leaned into Caroline, whispering only so she could hear, “They love you, you know. I do not believe you can do any wrong in their eyes.”

“Then they are too kind.” She replied softly. “Though they do have good taste, if I may say so myself.” Caroline let out a soft laugh and quirked her brow.

Klaus laughed off her comment, and continued on. “Now, I declare this evening officially open!” He began their descent again, leading Caroline out onto the dance floor, along with his siblings. Rebekah managed to find a dance partner in Chief Alistair Sinclair, and everyone else had their obvious dance partners.

On one side of the floor, Kol swept Bonnie across the floor, her dress fanning around her legs as they danced. “You’ve managed to improve your skills slightly from Christmas, I see.” She teased. “At least I’m not hitting furniture this time.”

“You wound me, Bunny dear. I am the most fabulous dancer you shall ever have the privilege of meeting, and you have rent my heart to shreds with your lack of faith in me.” He dramatically stated, causing her to throw her head back in laughter, the bouncy curls her hair had been fixed into for the evening shaking with the slightest movement.

“I’ve always thought your ego needed to be taken down a notch or ten. Guess I was right.” Laughter overtook Bonnie again as Kol twirled her out and back in, before dipping her with flair.

“Are you ready to take those words back yet?” He smirked, kissing her briefly before moving into another portion of the dance. “Because I can keep convincing you for the rest of the night.”

“Not a chance in hell.” Bonnie gave him her best sassy look. “I can outlast you every time.”

After the first dance ended, Rebekah could be found dancing with a string of men who only ended up disappointed when they did not manage to hold the pretty Original’s interest. Eventually tiring of the blatant ass-kissing, she ditched her fan club and headed over to the bar for a strong drink to steel her for more of the same. There, she ran into a certain former werewolf.

“I thought you would be out dancing.” Rebekah raised an eyebrow before ordering a drink.

“You don’t appear to be enjoying yourself.” Lachlan replied, sipping whatever that was he was drinking. “Though I cannot say the same for your partners.”

“They assume too much.” She shot back. “It is not my fault they seem to believe a single mediocre dance will earn their way into the ranks of the Original Family.”

“I can commiserate.” He agreed, pausing for a moment. “I wanted to thank you for the part you played in my current state of being. My father said it was you who convinced your brother to turn me.” Lachlan took another sip. “Though it was not exactly on my bucket list to become an immortal hybrid, it is better this than dead.”

“Your father was most convincing.” The lady played it off. “He mentioned your children, and, well, I have a niece due any day now. It was nothing, really.”

“But it was.” Lachlan insisted. “Truly, it was. After my wife, Alice, died, my children have needed me more than ever. You cannot know how much it means that I am still walking, albeit in an undead state.”

“Think nothing of it. Tell me,” Rebekah started, changing the topic, “What terms did my brother eventually agree to? Because I know that he did not bind you with the sire bond, but he must have required something else.”

“I’m coming back here, permanently, and within a month.” The man announced, much to her surprise. “I will be taking a place on the council, as the representative for hybrids. Apparently the first choice, Ms. Bishop-Montgomery, turned the position down, and it was more-or-less required of me to take it. Either way, I’ll be gone long enough to pack up the house and kids, and move down here.”

Strangely, the thought of seeing the ginger-haired hybrid again pleased Rebekah very much, though she attempted to squash it. It was time to be single and free, not to get involved; besides, he had children. How would that work? “In that case, the city of New Orleans awaits your arrival.” She raised her glass in a miniature toast, and he clinked his against hers.

-0-0-0-0-0-

“Why am I getting déjà vu from this?” Katherine crossed her arms, biting her tongue to suppress her laughter. Elijah stood behind her, not even bothering to hide his smug amusement at the hilarity of the situation. They had simply wanted to grab their outerwear and take a walk outside, but when they had approached the room where their things were, Elijah picked up on very peculiar sounds coming from said room. Being the mischievous people that they were, the couple burst into the room, and interrupted Kol and Bonnie in the middle of what looked like a marvelous make-out session. Or at least, it had been a good session. Now they were just getting laughed at.

“Really brother, I advise you to pick a better location next time. Or at least lock the door.” Elijah teased his younger brother, thoroughly enjoying this. Ah, revenge was sweet. He breezed into the dressing area and grabbed his coat and Katherine’s shawl.

“Yes, you would know all about locking doors, wouldn’t you?” Kol rolled his eyes. “Considering the fact that you two are extremely proficient at locking them constantly.”

“At least we don’t get interrupted!” Katherine sang, turning around as Elijah draped the shawl around her shoulders. Though her dress may have long sleeves, the back was completely open, and the top was of thin material, thus making the garment necessary. “Seems I was right in my assumptions, Bon-Bon. Good for you!” She shot the mortified girl an exaggerated wink.

“Bye Katherine!” Bonnie gave her an overly-sarcastic wave, rolling her eyes.

“Bye Bon-Bon!” Katherine shot back, a cat-that-ate-the-canary look on her face. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” She grabbed Elijah’s arm and dragged him out of the room, and away from the interrupted couple. “Ahhh, havoc-wreaking. How I enjoy that.”

“We are quite proficient at the task.” He agreed. By now they had reached the doors leading to the back lawn of the event building, and were met by the brisk January air. They walked in silence for a bit, simply enjoying each other’s company, before Elijah broke the quiet. “What are you thinking of, my dear?”

Katherine breathed in deeply before she answered. “You. Us. How a mere walk like this was a pipe dream two months ago. It’s all kind of mind-boggling when you think about it.”

“It represents us, I believe.” Elijah countered. “We spent so much time dancing around each other, that it makes sense we would jump in headfirst when actually given the chance to be together.”

“We certainly did in London.” Katherine smirked slightly, enjoying those memories.

“We had too much time on our hands in London, what with waiting for informants to actually get themselves together, among other factors. We had nothing better to do than focus on each other.” He corrected.

“Nevertheless, I enjoyed that time, no matter how abruptly it began and ended.” She stepped slightly to the side so as to avoid a puddle, and was back by him in a second’s time. They eventually stopped at a stone bench, which was near a fountain at the base of the lawn, and Elijah led Katherine to sit down. Once there, he reached inside his jacket pocket, and pulled out an envelope, which he handed to her. Curious, she raised an eyebrow at the piece of paper before opening it. The contents, however, confused her. “What exactly are you giving me plane tickets for? And to France, of all places?”

“I presumed,” Elijah took one of her hands in his, and rubbed it gently, “That immediately after the birth of my niece, we could jet off to a certain chateau and vineyard, and enjoy the place like we should have months ago.” Katherine could barely breathe. She set the tickets down on her other side, grabbed Elijah by the lapels, and began to kiss him senseless. He wanted to go to the place she had prepared for them; the place where they were supposed to begin their adventure together, and it simply made her love him all the more.

-0-0-0-0-0-

As the clock waned into the late hours of the night, the noisy ballroom came to a still by the tinkling of a knife against a glass. Alistair, Chief of Clan Sinclair moved to the staircase, champagne glass in hand, and began to speak. “Though this was not planned, as my Clan has been allied with the Mikaelson family, and subsequently our King and Queen, for many centuries, I have taken it upon myself to perform the duty which must be executed at every formal event: the final toast.” He gestured into the crowd. “The wait staff is coming around with trays of champagne, though, it’s certainly not on my tab!” A laugh aroused from the masses, and Klaus offered an amused nod from the head table, where he and Caroline were seated, her mother beside them. “Firstly, to the representatives of the supernatural world, meaning all of us, this is for you. Though we all have our differences, we have managed to unite under the common respect for those we consider our leaders. To the Original family, for assisting us in this trying unification, as well as giving us a commonality which cannot be transcended by differences in species. And to Niklaus and Caroline, our King and Queen, for the sacrifices you have made and will make as the figureheads of war and peace in our eyes. Long may you both reign.”

The resounding echoes of “To the King and Queen” could be heard throughout the entire city of New Orleans, that night.

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the official last chapter of A Tree Called Life! All that's left is a short epilogue, which for those of you reading as I'm posting this, will be up shortly. It has taken me forever to get this finally posted, but I'm thankful to all of my loyal readers, and I really appreciate all of your feedback!  
> -Abi


	26. Epilogue

**January 31, 2012**

It had been fifteen hours since Hayley went into labor. Fifteen. Excruciating. Hours. The Mikaelsons had insisted upon a home birth, as none were quite fond of hospitals after their last experience with them, and Hayley just could not bring herself to care, so a midwife and a team of nurses were called in around three o’clock the previous afternoon. Now, it finally seemed as if the newest addition to the family would be making an appearance within minutes.

After a basically sleepless night due to the whimpers and groans of pain coming from upstairs, the endless traipsing of relief nurses throughout the manor, and just the general air of unrest and tension, everyone was just ready for the baby to arrive Katherine and Bonnie were really the only ones who had gotten any sleep; the former because she just did not care, and the latter because she lacked supernatural hearing.

“You know, if you want to go up there, I won’t be like…upset.” Caroline whispered to the father-to-be as he looked towards the floor, elbows on his knees. A particularly loud scream echoed from above everyone, and a few winced.

“I’m fine, sweetheart” was all she got in response. She nodded, and squeezed his hand, which was currently holding hers.

“God, I am so glad I only experienced _that_ once.” Katherine dryly commented, looking towards the ceiling. “Nothing like the excruciating feeling of pushing a child out of your lady parts to make the day brighter.”

“Is it normal for it to take this long?” Rebekah asked the only person who had actually experienced labor and delivery in the room, rubbing her eyes. “She’s been at it all night.”

“I had it easy, and from what I remember, my mother did as well. Petrova women have quick deliveries.” Katherine crossed her arms, leaning her head on Elijah’s shoulder, who looked up from his book.

“Mother took longer than this with you and Kol, sister.” He interjected. “I am sure Hayley will be finished in time.”

“But it took Mother less time with Henrik, correct?” Kol asked. “We went berry-picking that day, if I remember correctly, and that could not have been more than a few hours.”

“I assume it varies.” Elijah shrugged.

“It does.” Caroline piped up. “My Aunt Mary took five hours with one of my cousins, and thirty-six hours with another. There’s no set time, sadly.”

“Oh, I remember that one.” Bonnie nodded, grimacing at the memory. “Because we were staying with her in like the middle-of-nowhere Michigan, and had to sit at the hospital with her until Bob could get there.” She shrugged. “It took _forever_.”

“I cannot take twenty more hours of this madness.” Klaus ran a hand over his face.

Caroline tuned into the voices upstairs, and then stood up suddenly. “I don’t think you’ll have to; _she’s pushing_.”

Klaus stood up and began pacing the room, restless. He may loathe the woman who was currently delivering his child, but the baby bore none of her mother’s sins. And, hopefully none of her father’s either. He was the man who proclaimed love was a weakness, and yet here he was, in love with a marvelous woman, and already feeling protective over his unborn child. It was terrifying. What if he ended up like Mikael? What if his child preferred one of his siblings to himself? What if she hated him? Damn it, he was not supposed to be worrying about these things. He was the Original Hybrid, brought to his knees by the imminent reality of a baby.

Suddenly, a new sound filled the ears of everyone present. It was a baby’s first cry; loud and healthy, the child appeared to have inherited its family’s tendency to be vocal.

In a flash, Klaus had zoomed upstairs to the room where Hayley had given birth. Not even bothering to knock, he barged right in. The midwife turned at the sound, holding the blanket-wrapped newborn in her arms. “You have a daughter, Mr. Mikaelson. A very healthy daughter.” She smiled. “Would you like to hold her?”

“Yes.” He nodded, and held his daughter in his arms for the first time. For one who prided himself on knowing what true beauty looked like, Klaus felt that his child was the living definition of it. She was…darling, to say the very least. Sighing, he turned to the spent werewolf. “Would you like to hold her, before they take you to the hospital to recover? Because afterwards, you will not be returning, in accordance with our previously agreed-upon terms. Your things have already been packed.”

“No.” Hayley closed her eyes. “No, I’m treating this like an adoption. I didn’t particularly want a baby anyways yet, and with the new pack taking me, I’ll still have a chance to have real _werewolf_ children in the future. Not strange, unnatural, _hybrid_ ones.” Her voice held disgust towards the label ‘hybrid’, as if it were something nasty-tasting in her mouth.

“As you wish.” Klaus barely contained his anger at her bitterness towards the child she had carried. “In that case, this is goodbye.” Not waiting for an answer, he took his newborn daughter out the door, mentally closing Hayley out of their lives for forever.

When they reached the lounge, the new father carried his daughter into the room of her family members. Rebekah was the first over, eager to meet her niece. “Oh, Nik, she’s positively lovely.” She brushed a finger down the baby’s cheek. “Hello sweetie. I’m your Auntie Bekah.”

“I don’t think she can understand you, sister.” Kol sauntered over. He was interested in the child, even if not as emotionally invested as his siblings. “Though, she is a pretty little thing. Good work, Nik.”

“You have done well, Niklaus.” Elijah had made his way to his siblings unnoticed. “What is to be her name?”

“We will go to the tree for that, brother.” Klaus said cryptically. Seeing that the siblings’ moment was over, Caroline joined the group, Bonnie and Katherine directly behind her.

“Oh!” The blonde’s nose crinkled as she smiled down at the baby. “She really is beautiful.” Caroline looked up at Klaus, placing her hand on his arm. “I think she has your eyes.” He looked down, a slight smile on his face as she said so.

“We should be leaving. It is nearly sunrise, after all.” Klaus had a perpetual look of tenderness upon his face whenever he looked down at his daughter.

“Klaus… It’s like forty degrees out there. You can’t take a baby out in that.” Caroline raised her eyebrows, confused.

“Oh, tosh.” Rebekah interjected. “I was born in the dead of winter, and it was much colder back then, and I survived. Besides, we’re going to the tree to officially name her. It’ll only take a few minutes.” She disappeared and was back a mere moment later, carrying extra baby blankets. “We’ll wrap her in these, and then be back in the warm car in no time.”

“We will be leaving in two minutes. Go grab whatever you need.” Elijah took over, seeing as Klaus was too entranced with his child to give out orders.

-0-0-0-0-0-

The tree the Mikaelsons had spoken of was located about ten minutes away from the manor, and it stood by itself on the top of a very small hill. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon as the seven adults trekked to the old southern oak, Klaus still holding his daughter. Rebekah had attempted to take her from him at least twice on the ride over, but the father did not budge. It was his baby, damn it. She could go find her own.

When they finally reached the base of the tree, the meaning for naming the baby at this particular place was revealed. About halfway up, nearly out of arm’s reach, the Mikaelson family tree was carved. Each family member’s name was written in Nordic runes, their mother tongue. Even Marcel was named upon the tree, written off to the side as he had been a family member to them.

When they finally stopped, Klaus turned to the woman beside him; the woman he would love for the rest of time. “Would you hold her for a moment?” He asked. Caroline nodded, a gentle smile upon her face as she looked down at the pretty baby. Elijah handed him a carving knife as he headed to the tree, one vital item the hybrid had forgotten to bring. “As the first Mikaelson to be born in over one thousand years, my daughter already has a legacy which will be bestowed upon her. Her name must live up to this legacy, as well as represent all which she should strive to be. She is a princess, of supernatural royalty. She will be raised to be wise, and to be strong.” Klaus paused, his hands clasped behind his back as he looked at the little baby in Caroline’s arms. “As such, I bestow upon her the name Contessa Cornelia Louise, as it exemplifies all which she is and will be raised to be.” There was no coincidence that Cornelia was Caroline’s middle name, nor that Louise had been on Rebekah’s list of name suggestions, and all present knew it. Klaus turned towards the ancient oak, which had stood since they had first lived in the city, over a century so. He took the knife and wrote his daughter’s a bit beneath his in runes, connecting the two with a line.

Afterwards, as Klaus walked to his family and took his daughter back, the sun took the last step over the horizon, and bathed the world in light. The eight people stood on the hill and looked upon the great tree; the tree of their family; the tree of their life.

In the end, they all recognized the sacred bond of family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for sticking with me on this long ride! I really appreciate the support and feedback, even when I took forever to update throughout this last semester. 
> 
> Have a great next semester, and I hope that I can get some more writing projects done and posted on here!  
> -Abi


End file.
